The New Orleans Saints can take sole possession of first place in the NFC South by beating the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. Both teams enter at 3-5 and will meet again on Dec. 13 in Charlotte.
With Tampa Bay on a bye, a Chiefs win over Atlanta would help New Orleans in the NFC South race. If the Saints lose to Carolina, they could move up from No. 12 in NFL.com’s projected 2027 draft order. Wins by teams picking ahead of them or losses by teams on their schedule would help.
- Chiefs over Falcons: A Kansas City win would drop Atlanta to 3-7, leaving the Falcons one-and-a-half games back if the Saints beat the Panthers. Atlanta beat New Orleans in Week 4.
- Texans over Browns: Houston shares the Saints' 3-5 record and sits one spot ahead of them in the draft projection. A Texans win gives Houston a fourth victory and lowers New Orleans' strength of schedule by handing Cleveland a loss,
- Cardinals over Rams: Arizona entered the Week at 3-6 with the projected No. 8 pick. A fourth win would move the Cardinals behind the Saints in the draft order if New Orleans loses to Carolina.
- Jets over Bills and Colts over Dolphins: Both the Jets and Colts enter at 2-7. Wins would bring them to three victories, and the Jets own Indianapolis' first-round pick.
- Seahawks over Raiders and Chargers over Ravens: New Orleans played Las Vegas and Baltimore in September. Losses for both would help the Saints' strength-of-schedule tiebreaker.
As for the rest of the NFC South? Winning the division is the Saints' easiest path to the playoffs. If they take care of business against the Panthers, keep an eye on the Chiefs-Falcons game. A Kansas City win would widen the gap between Atlanta and New Orleans. Meanwhile,
the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are resting on their bye week, but quarterback Baker Mayfield is reportedly dealing with another injury in what's become a brutal season.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Week 10 rooting interests: Who Saints should pull for on Sunday
