Here’s the hole the New Orleans Saints dug for themselves. They didn’t get the help they needed from the Chicago Bears, who lost to the Green Bay Packers, securing the seventh and final NFC playoff seed for Green Bay.
This means the Saints are officially eliminated from playoff contention. Their season is over. An early-season loss to the Packers where Dennis Allen’s defense allowed back-to-back 80-yard scoring drives in the fourth quarter looms large. They have no one to blame but themselves.
So the Saints will be watching the playoffs from home while better teams advance; they’re in the same position now that they were a year ago, before they doubled down on Allen’s vision for the team and signed quarterback Derek Carr to a $150 million contract. But at least they’re 9-8 instead of 7-10 again, right?
