As we move deeper into the second half of the 2024 NFL season, the postseason starts to come into view. The New Orleans Saints were blasting to open this season with two blowouts.
Since then, it’s been an unmitigated disaster that culminated in the termination of their head coach, Dennis Allen.
But now, on the back of two straight wins under interim HC Darren Rizzi, is there enough time to turn things around? Let’s examine the Saints’ playoff odds and various scenarios.
Can the New Orleans Saints Make the Playoffs?
After all the action in Week 11, the New Orleans Saints are 4-7 and now have a 10.6% chance to make the playoffs.
They have a 0.0% chance for the 1 seed, a 0.0% chance for the second seed, a 0.5% chance for the third seed, a 9.5% chance for the fourth seed, a 0.0% chance for the fifth seed, a 0.1% chance for the sixth seed, and a 0.5% chance for the seventh seed.
Can the Saints Win the NFC South?
Here’s what the NFC South race looks like after all the Sunday action in Week 11:
- The Dallas Cowboys have a 0.0% chance to win the NFC East.
- The New York Giants have a 0.0% chance to win the NFC East.
- The Philadelphia Eagles have a 75.1% chance to win the NFC East.
- The Washington Commanders have a 24.9% chance to win the NFC East.
Current NFC South Standings
- Atlanta Falcons (6-5)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-6)
- New Orleans Saints (4-7)
- Carolina Panthers (3-7)
Saints’ Super Bowl Chances After Week 11
Can the Saints win the Super Bowl? The PFN Playoff Predictor projects that New Orleans has a 0.0% chance to win it all.
Saints’ Remaining Schedule
- Week 12: BYE
- Week 13: vs. Los Angeles Rams
- Week 14: at New York Giants
- Week 15: vs. Washington Commanders
- Week 16: at Green Bay Packers
- Week 17: vs. Las Vegas Raiders
- Week 18: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
What PFN Predicted for the Saints vs. Browns Matchup
With seven losses, the Saints’ season is already on the brink of collapse. One more loss would surely push their already slim playoff odds to zero. The Saints cannot afford to drop this game at home to the Browns.
As for the Browns, they have two wins through 10 weeks. It’s safe to say the postseason is not in their future. At this point, they are trying to evaluate their roster to see what they have for next year.
Even in a lost season, the Browns are not about to just roll over. Plus, this is a Jameis Winston revenge game!
This may be Winston’s last shot at proving he deserves a starting job in the NFL. Despite spending the first six weeks as the starter, he was demoted to the Browns’ emergency QB3 during Week 7, the game Deshaun Watson suffered his season-ending injury. Winston still has a lot to play for.
The Saints’ best path to victory is making Winston beat them. As fun as he is to watch, he throws the ball with reckless abandon. It doesn’t sound like the Browns are going to put the shackles on Winston the way the Saints did.
#Browns OC Ken Dorsey on Jameis Winston coming off 3-INT game: The big thing is we have to trust our eyes, trust what we see out there.
We want to play smart, not conservative. To do that, you have to trust your progressions, trust your eyes.— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) November 14, 2024
Nevertheless, the way to beat the Saints is on the ground. New Orleans’ defensive rush success rate is second-worst in the league. After struggling with inefficiency in his first three games back from a devastating knee injury, this could very well be Nick Chubb’s breakthrough game the team has been waiting for.
For the Saints, they need a balanced attack. The Browns are middle of the pack against both the pass and the run. A steady dose of Alvin Kamara is a great place to start. When Derek Carr drops back to pass, he will need to make smart decisions, as his WR corps looks nothing like it did earlier in the season when he had Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed on the field.
Last week, Carr found success on a couple of deep shots to Marquez Valdes-Scantling. If the Browns take the deep ball away, Carr will look to check it down to Alvin Kamara. However, the Browns have been very good at defending running backs out of the backfield. Just 10.7% of their total receiving yards allowed have gone to running backs, and opponents target RBs against them at a 12.3% clip, the third-lowest in the league.
PFN Prediction: Saints 23, Browns 17
