Saints Still Control Control Their Playoff Fate – Just Barely
By Bob Rose
Dec 13, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Willie Snead (83) dives for a first down while tackled by Tampa Bay Buccaneers free safety Bradley McDougald (30) during the second quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
FAVORABLE SCHEDULE
Every one of the Saints’ remaining opponents are within their own conference, and nearly every one of the teams (except Detroit next week) are in almost identical playoff positioning as New Orleans.
Home games against the Rams, Lions, and Buccaneers along with road trips to Tampa, Arizona and Atlanta give the Saints every opportunity to put recent late game failures in the rear view mirror and set themselves up into nice playoff positioning, perhaps even without a ton of outside help.
More importantly: every single one of the remaining 6 games are “winnable” games. There aren’t any games in which the Saints would be considered huge “underdogs”.
The schedule “down the stretch” is actually a very favorable one — but ultimately it’s up to the Saints to control their own Playoff fate by simply WINNING every week.