NFL Playoff Picture: New Orleans Saints Looking at Perilous Path to Super Bowl

It is very much in the New Orleans Saints' interest to capture the NFC's No. 2 seed this weekend. If they don't, their road to the Super Bowl will be as tough as they come.

The only trouble is that the Saints don't control their own destiny as far as the No. 2 seed is concerned. They're going to have to beat the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, but they're also going to need the San Francisco 49ers to lose to the St. Louis Rams.

Alas, that's not likely to happen. The Rams are an awful football team, and they're probably not going to beat the 49ers without the help of Sam Bradford. According to the Associated Press, Bradford is a long shot to play on Sunday, as he is still feeling the effects of a high ankle sprain.

If the 49ers do win, the Saints will enter the postseason as the No. 3 seed no matter what they do against the Panthers. That will mean no first-round bye, and that means they won't have any time to spare dwelling on missing out on the No. 2 seed.

From there, things will get mighty interesting.

In the wild card round, the Saints will host either the Detroit Lions or the Atlanta Falcons. If the Lions lose to the Green Bay Packers and the Falcons beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 17, the Saints will host the Lions. If the Lions beat the Packers, the Saints will host the Falcons no matter what they do against the Bucs.

Neither opponent would present much of a challenge. The Saints beat both the Lions and the Falcons at home during the regular season, and could easily do so again in the playoffs.

If the Saints survive, they would have to head to San Francisco to play the 49ers in the divisional round.

That's not a happy prospect. In their final six home games, the 49ers gave up a grand total of 43 points. Even against an offense as dangerous as that of the Saints, the 49ers' defense is a tough nut to crack.

The good news is that the Saints would be in good shape if they were to open up an early lead over the 49ers. The idea would be to force the 49ers to put the ball in Alex Smith's hands, and there's just no way he would be able to match wits with Brees.

It would be tough, but the Saints could escape San Francisco with a win to head on to the NFC Championship Game.

Most likely, that would mean heading to Green Bay for a rematch against the Packers.

The Saints nearly beat the Packers in the very first game of the season, but victory against the Packers in Lambeau Field in the playoffs is far from guaranteed. Especially not against this Packers team, which boasts more than its fair share of talent and experience.

To be sure, the Saints could win, but you have to wonder how much they're going to have left in them after having to play in San Francisco. The 49ers could set the Packers up for a relatively easy victory.

If the Saints survive and head to the Super Bowl, you'll have to tip your cap to them. They will have run one hell of a gauntlet.