Drew Brees, Saints Clinch NFC South for 3rd Straight Year with Win vs. Falcons

The 10-2 New Orleans Saints are postseason-bound once again after they clinched the NFC South title Thursday with a 26-18 victory over the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

It will be New Orleans' third consecutive playoff trip, with the previous two ending in heartbreak. The Minneapolis Miracle sent the Saints home in the divisional round after the 2017 season, and last year's team fell one game shy of the Super Bowl after a controversial no-call late in its loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

Now, Drew Brees and Co. will have the opportunity to avenge those crushing defeats.

New Orleans appeared destined for the playoffs after it started the season 7-1. The team overcame Brees' early-season thumb injury, with backup Teddy Bridgewater going 5-0 in five starts.

The Saints have piled up wins with or without Brees thanks to a balanced roster. The offense includes the likes of Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara, while the defense features playmakers such as Marshon Lattimore, Cameron Jordan and Marcus Davenport.

With that type of talent, New Orleans has to be considered a serious threat to represent the NFC in Super Bowl LIV in Miami.

For now, though, the Saints have work to do. They're looking up at the 10-1 San Francisco 49ers in the NFC, with the Green Bay Packers (8-3), Seattle Seahawks (9-2) and Minnesota Vikings (8-3) all vying for playoff positioning.

Even if New Orleans can't secure the conference's top seed, it can at least avoid the Wild Card Round and host a divisional-round game by winning out.