If Jim Mora’s old “playoffs” rant still lives rent-free in NFL memory, the NFC South is the kind of division that would make it feel brand new.
Back in 2001, Mora was coaching the Indianapolis Colts when he delivered the famous line about the postseason. It was meant for that team, on that day. But with the Saints, Panthers, Buccaneers and Falcons all stuck on three wins heading into Week 10, it might as well be the soundtrack for the whole division.
“Playoffs? Don’t talk about - playoffs?
You kidding me? Playoffs?
I just hope we can win a game.”
That’s the reality in the NFL’s weakest division. New Orleans, Carolina, Tampa Bay and Atlanta all enter the week with three victories, which is usually the kind of record that sends a team into draft-position discussions. In the NFC South, though, it still leaves everyone hanging around the race.
Sunday’s Saints-Panthers matchup at Caesars Superdome is the latest example. New Orleans is 3-5.
Carolina is 3-5. The winner moves to 4-5 and takes sole possession of first place, at least for now.
The loser drops to 3-6 and has a much steeper climb.
That’s what makes this one feel like a must-win for the Saints, especially with what comes next. After Carolina, New Orleans heads to Chicago and Cincinnati before coming home to face Green Bay. Those three opponents are a combined 19-7, with the Bears and Bengals sitting first or tied for first in two of the NFL’s toughest divisions from top to bottom.
If the Saints stumble Sunday, a 3-9 mark by the first weekend in December would not be out of the question. That’s the kind of stretch that can bury a season fast, particularly after New Orleans already dropped a division game to Atlanta in October. The Saints know exactly what’s at stake in a race that figures to go down to the wire again.
“It’s significant because of the situation we’re all in in this division,” said Saints quarterback Tyler Shough. “But also it’s a really good opponent.
We’re playing the Panthers, and they’ve got a great team and we’ve got to be ready to go. Whether it was the last game of the year with no significance or a playoff game, we’re going to treat it the same.”
A win would give New Orleans first place and some breathing room, but it would also come with the kind of caution that bad divisions tend to create. Being alive in a race like this can fool teams and fan bases into thinking they’re closer than they really are.
The Saints’ first eight games say otherwise. Whether they’re actually on the rise is still an open question, and Sunday should reveal a little more.
The matchup also comes with some numbers that favor New Orleans. The Saints swept Carolina last season, and Bryce Young has struggled against them, going 1-5 all-time.
That lone win came in 2024, the game that helped seal former Saints coach Dennis Allen’s fate. New Orleans has not exactly surged since then, but another win over the Panthers would at least point things in a better direction.
The path for the Saints is pretty clear: handle business in the division. To reach 8-9 or 9-8, they still need five or six more wins, and the most realistic route runs through Carolina, Tampa Bay and the rematch with Atlanta. That’s why every NFC South game keeps carrying extra weight.
Even Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski said this week that nobody in the division is giving up, despite Atlanta trading one of its best players, safety Jessie Bates, before Tuesday’s deadline.
“Our fans are smart enough to know in no way, shape, or form would we punt on this season,” Stefanski said. “We have three wins, just like every other team in our division.”
So when the Saints and Panthers kick off Sunday, one of them will leave with win No. 4. In this division, that’s enough to matter.
In Other News...
Saints Midseason Review Exposes One Offensive Strength And One Real Concern
Midway through the season, the Saints offense has not matched the shape many expected back in the summer, and the review of those preseason position rankings makes that pretty clear. The running backs have been held back by injuries and other factors, while the wide receivers have emerged as one of the most dependable parts of the unit. At the center of it all, Tyler Shough has done more than keep things afloat, leading multiple comeback drives and giving the offense a steadier feel than some projected.
The bigger worry is still up front, where the offensive line has remained a problem because of both depth and performance issues. For a team trying to sort out what it can trust on offense, that leaves the Saints with one clear strength to lean on and one area that still looks unsettled. How the line holds up from here may end up shaping how much the rest of that progress really matters. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Suddenly Have A Protection Problem Before Panthers Game
A late-week addition to the injury report has put the Saints on alert up front, with Taliese Fuaga dealing with a knee sprain and still undergoing further evaluation. The injury is not believed to be serious, but it could still sideline him for multiple weeks, which would be a real hit to a line already trying to keep its footing heading into a matchup with Carolina.
If Fuaga cannot go, New Orleans may have to lean on Cesar Ruiz, Jeremiah Wright and Asim Richards to absorb the snaps and keep the pocket stable. That would leave the Saints with less margin for error against a Panthers front that can bring pressure, especially with edge rusher Jaelan Phillips in the picture. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Finally Get A Chance To Fix Their Biggest Problem
The Saints have spent much of this season trying to protect Tyler Shough from the kind of pressure that has too often disrupted their offense, and this matchup offers a rare chance to breathe a little easier. New Orleans already has two edge threats in Chase Young and Carl Granderson, who have combined for 15.5 sacks, and now they face a Carolina defense that has struggled to get after the quarterback all year.
The Panthers enter with the worst sack rate in the NFL, and injuries have only made matters worse for a unit missing key pieces such as Jaelan Phillips and Nic Scourton. For the Saints, that creates a very different kind of game plan possibility, one that could let Shough settle in and give New Orleans a cleaner look at an issue it has been trying to solve all season. [Read more 🡒]