There was much on the line for both teams participating in Thursday Night Football this week.
A win put that team closer to an opportunity for a playoff berth, while a loss was crucial for their chances.
The New Orleans Saints lost to the Los Angeles Rams in this game, bringing their season record to 6-8.
A recently-tweeted graphic from B/R Gridiron mentions that the Saints’ chances to make the playoffs have now dropped to 24 percent, down from 71 percent had they won.
Saints would’ve had a 71% chance with a win ? pic.twitter.com/04jD4gkE76
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) December 22, 2023
The Saints still have a unique opportunity to make the postseason, depending on how the rest of the year shakes out in the NFC South.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a 7-7 record, and the Atlanta Falcons have a 6-8 record.
If both teams lose this weekend, the Saints’ chances of making the playoffs via a division title are still alive.
However, if the Buccaneers beat the Jacksonville Jaguars, they will have a two-game lead on the Saints, effectively ending their chances of winning the division.
The Saints will monitor that game closely, hoping the Buccaneers find a way to lose.
With a matchup with the Buccaneers pending for Week 17, the Saints could find themselves in a favorable situation depending on how the weekend plays out.
Before the season, the Saints were expected to run away with this division.
Derek Carr was brought to this team for a reason: to use his NFL experience to get the Saints out of their rut.
While he has played well at times, he hasn’t been able to do enough to give this team a commanding presence within the division.
Fans will be interested to see what happens over the next two weeks and what it will mean for the Saints in 2024.
NEXT: Saints HC Reveals Chris Olave's Status For Thursday's Game
