NFL Playoff Scenarios: Why Saints Should Be Hoping for Falcons to Nab No. 5 Seed

The New Orleans Saints may have easily defeated the Atlanta Falcons by a score of 45-16 last week, but there are several reasons why they should be rooting for the Dirty Birds to secure the NFC's No. 5 seed rather than their current position in sixth.

While the Saints could still move up to the No. 2 seed with a win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday and a San Francisco 49ers loss, it seems unlikely that the Niners will lose to the lowly 2-13 St. Louis Rams. Because of that, all signs point to New Orleans finishing in third.

If the standings remain as they are, the Saints would host the Falcons in the first round of the playoffs. The Saints blew out the Falcons at home last week, but things wouldn't be so easy in the postseason. New Orleans was able to beat Atlanta on the road earlier in the season, but it took overtime to secure a 26-23 win.

The Saints also benefited from a curious decision by Falcons head coach Mike Smith as he decided to go for it on 4th-and-short with the offense on their own 29-yard line. The Saints stuffed the Falcons on the play and went on to hit a game-winning field goal a couple plays later.

Although New Orleans came away with the win, Atlanta proved that it could hang tough and compete with the mighty Saints. The key to keeping pace with the Saints is to match them blow for blow on offense, and the Falcons have the horses to do that with the likes of Matt Ryan, Michael Turner, Roddy White, Julio Jones and Tony Gonzalez.

Those said horses weren't in great form against the Saints last Monday night, but they can't be kept down for long. The Saints were in control of the game from the second quarter on, but I believe they made a major mistake late in the contest.

With a comfortable 38-16 lead and just a few minutes remaining on the clock, the Saints could have easily tried to run the ball and end the game. Instead, head coach Sean Payton thought it would be best to allow quarterback Drew Brees to pass at will.

Payton's intentions were understandable as Brees was within striking distance of Dan Marino's single-season passing yardage mark. With the Saints at home on Monday Night Football, Payton understood how important it would be for his quarterback to break the record on such an occasion.

Brees did secure the yardage record on a nine-yard scoring strike to Darren Sproles with less than three minutes remaining in the game. The celebration then began and it was truly an awesome moment. With that said, though, the Saints are at home once again this weekend, so Brees could still have broken the record in front of the New Orleans faithful.

While I think Smith and the rest of the Falcons understand why the Saints did what they did, it won't stop him from using it as motivation should the teams meet in the postseason. Saints supporters will probably say that New Orleans did the right thing in going for the jugular and ending the game, but Payton's decision was driven solely by the record.

The Saints may have beaten the Falcons twice this season, but Atlanta will certainly be fired up come playoff time. If the Detroit Lions lose to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday and the Falcons beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Atlanta will move up to the No. 5 seed. If the Saints are smart, I'm quite sure that is the scenario they're rooting for.