New Orleans Saints clinch NFL playoff berth

New Orleans Saints makes playoffs

Last season's Super Bowl champions New Orleans Saints eked out a 17-14 win last night over the Atlanta Falcons to clinch a slot in the National Football League playoffs. Quarterback Drew Brees brushed off two interceptions in the final quarter to complete 302 yards in the game, including a crucial 6-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jimmy Graham with 3:24 left. The win snapped the Falcons' league-best eight-game winning streak and the Saints denied Atlanta from getting the NFC South Division title. "It feels good," Brees said in an interview. "You just want to punch your ticket to the big show and we've done that. We just want to get better every week and get geared up for these playoffs."

New Orleans pushed their win-loss record to 11-4 and still has a chance to top the NFC South Division and secure home advantage in the coming playoffs. New Orleans trail Atlanta by one game with one week left before the end of the regular season. The runner up in the NFC South gets an automatic wildcard playoff spot and the other wildcard berth will be contested among the New York Giants, Green Bay Packers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Packers' fate lies solely upon their shoulders, with a win at home over Chicago to clinch the wildcard, while New York and Tampa Bay needs a win and a loss by the Packers to advance. The closing game of the regular season for the Saints will be on January 2 in New Orleans against the Buccaneers.

Posted by Andre Monohan on Tuesday December 28 2010, 1:54 AM EST. Ref: Bloomberg. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0