The New Orleans Saints are a game away from the playoffs, with a regular season finale on the road with the Carolina Panthers up next. Those Panthers will be led by none other than safety Eric Reid, a former All-American for the LSU Tigers and Baton Rouge, La. native. But the Saints won’t be receiving any help from the Panthers, if Reid has a say in it.
“They’re a divisional opponent. If we can take homefield advantage away from them, why not?,” Reid told The Athletic’s Joe Person. “I know my family in Louisiana wouldn’t be happy with me. I can be a Saints fan, but on Sunday, I’m a Saints opponent.”
Reid has played against the Saints six times in his NFL career, including three matchups since the Panthers signed him last season. He led the Panthers with 15 combined tackles (11 solo) against New Orleans in their meeting earlier this season, and figures to see plenty of action again in Sunday’s game.
While the Saints are guaranteed to finish no worse than third in the NFC playoff standings, they have a few paths to reaching a higher seed and earning a a first-round playoff bye, or even homefield advantage throughout the postseason. But it’ll be incredibly difficult for them to pull that off with a loss at Carolina this week. And Reid wants to do all he can to hurt his division rivals’ chances of bringing home another Super Bowl, even if the Saints fans in his family might hold it against him.
