Saints can finish third or last in NFC South division

By Ross Jackson

Now that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have toppled the Carolina Panthers, the New Orleans Saints can no longer finish second in the NFC South and their prospects for 2026 opponents have dwindled. 

If the Saints can knock off the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, they could still finish third in the division. A loss would send them to last place, where they were most often projected to finish before the year began. 

Beyond their 2025 finish, their 2026 future is also a ripple effect of Sunday’s result. 

With a win, New Orleans would face the third place teams of the NFC East (road), NFC West (home) and AFC West (home). A loss would put them in position to play a last-place schedule, facing the fourth-place teams from each of those divisions. 

That would mean the difference between facing teams like the Arizona Cardinals, New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders and taking on the Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Commanders and the Los Angeles Rams or San Francisco 49ers. 

New Orleans has chosen to focus on building a winning culture at the end of the 2025 season, a decision that has produced promising success behind rookie quarterback Tyler Shough. 

Playing a last-place schedule in 2026 may be to the team’s benefit as they pursue their opportunity to compete in the NFC South with impressive momentum. 

A loss would set the Saints up with the presumed easiest path to a successful 2026. It would also keep the Buccaneers, who are on the verge of winning the division for the fifth consecutive season, a first since the division’s inception.