What do the Saints need to make the playoffs? New Orleans' Week 15 scenarios explored

The New Orleans Saints began the season in an impressive fashion, winning their first two games over the Carolina Panthers and the Dallas Cowboys. However, coach Dennis Allen was fired after seven straight losses, the last one being a crushing defeat against the Panthers.

After Darren Rizzi took over as interim head coach in November, the Saints won three of their last four games.

Going into Sunday's game against the New York Giants, they knew they would have little to no chance of making the postseason if they lost. However, they were able to keep their faint hopes alive with a 14–11 victory.

As they enter Week 15, the Saints (5-8) are 12th in the NFC rankings. They are currently out of the playoff picture as a result of this circumstance, but they are still mathematically in the running.

Saints playoff scenarios after going 5-8

The New Orleans Saints' chances of making the playoffs are still bleak, even with their recent wins against the New York Giants and Cleveland Browns. They will, however, have a far better chance of making the postseason if they win their final four games of the regular season.

Since teams with far superior records occupy the wild card places in the NFC, the Saints need a lot of results to go in their favor to make the playoffs. Their best chance of making it to the postseason is by winning the NFC South.

New Orleans is in third place in the division, behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6) and Atlanta Falcons (6-7). The Saints can win their division if they win their remaining games, which includes a game against the Buccaneers in Week 18. However, Tampa Bay would have to lose at least two more games.

The Falcons will also need to drop a number of games for the Saints to win, as Atlanta has a head-to-head tie advantage over them.

Sportkeeda's Playoff Predictor

New Orleans Saints' playoff scenario explored

Despite their recent success, Sportskeeda's Playoff Predictor predicts that the New Orleans Saints will miss out on the playoffs. According to the tool, the team, now 5-8, will end with a 6-11 record after winning only one of its remaining four games.

This projected situation will see the Saints finish the season placed 12th in the NFC and third in the NFC South, behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Atlanta Falcons.

Sportkeeda's Playoff Predictor

The Saints would probably need to win each of their final four games to have a shot of qualifying for the playoffs, considering the present state of the NFC postseason picture.