The New Orleans Saints ended their season with a bang, but it didn’t sway the decision-makers who assembled the final USA Today NFL power rankings. The Saints finished the regular season ranked-third best in the NFL, the same as the previous week, trailing both the top-ranked Baltimore Ravens and second-best San Francisco 49ers.
However, we’re now onto the playoffs. And speculation is rising as to whether the Saints can exorcise some demons with familiar postseason rivals like the 49ers, Minnesota Vikings, and Seattle Seahawks also vying for a Super Bowl title:
Recent playoff hexes already becoming a topic du jour. Surely Sean Payton will loop clips of “Minneapolis Miracle” this week …
Actually, it would be great if Payton didn’t play up the role that game had in Saints history. It was just a bump in the road between NFC South division championships, while the Vikings were dealt an unceremonious exit from the 2017 playoffs after that game and didn’t return to the postseason tournament until 2019. If that miracle meant anything to anyone, it codified the Vikings’ ability to punch above their weight class. And that’s what Payton and his team should take away from it.
