After the Saints won back to back games for the first time all season with a victory in frigid Cleveland on Christmas Eve, it looked like the division was still in reach. Then, on Christmas night, with the Buccaneers struggling in Arizona, it looked for a minute like New Orleans might have a real shot.
A Tom Brady OT comeback later and the Saints are now in a spot where there is only one path left for them to win this mess of a division and make the playoffs, and the chances are extremely slim.
The path, while exceedingly unlikely, is actually quite simple. The Saints must win out their final two games against the Eagles in Philadelphia then the Panthers at home. In addition to this, the Bucs must lose out their final two games against Carolina and Atlanta, resulting in the Saints winning the division.
The first frontier may prove to be the most difficult, with the Eagles needing to win in order to lock up the #1 seed. Jalen Hurts may or may not be playing for the Birds, but Gardner Minshew played admirably in relief of the injured Hurts in a loss to the Cowboys on Christmas Eve and is certainly more than capable of a performance that is good enough to send Who Dat Nation packing.
While the outlook isn’t good, Saints fans can enjoy at least one more week of meaningful football with playoff implications this Sunday.