Saints division finish impacted by Week 18 Panthers – Bucs matchup

By Ross Jackson

The New Orleans Saints will see their 2026 future impacted by Saturday’s NFC South matchup between the Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Because of the Saints’ late-season surge, the team could finish last in the division or as high as second. Their game against the Atlanta Falcons will be the final deciding factor, but there are several possibilities impacted by the 3:30 p.m. CT kickoff in Tampa on Saturday.

With a Panthers Win

The Saints would finish fourth in the NFC South with a loss at Atlanta. But, shockingly after a 2-8 start, they could finish No. 2 in the division with a Week 18 win. The Saints would win a 7-10 three-way tie with the Falcons and Buccaneers because of division win percentage.

Impact on 2026 Schedule

If the Saints finish last, they’ll face the last-place teams from each the NFC East (away), NFC West (home) and AFC West (home). However, should they finish second, that would mean facing the second place team in each of those divisions.

By division, here are the opponents New Orleans would face depending on a second or fourth-place finish respectively.

At NFC East: Dallas Cowboys or New York Giants

Vs. NFC West: Seattle Seahawks/San Cardinals 49ers or Arizona Cardinals

Vs. AFC West: Los Angeles Chargers or Las Vegas Raiders

With a Buccaneers Win

The Saints would again finish last with a loss against the Falcons, but would land third with a win. A win would allow them to finish 7-10 tied with only the Falcons, against whom they would win the tie-breaker because of their division record.

Impact on 2026 Schedule

The same principle applies here as above. However, instead of playing either the second or last-place teams from the NFC East, NFC West and AFC West, New Orleans would take on the teams that finish either third or last.

Here are their potential opponents with a third- and fourth-place finish:

At NFC East: Washington Commanders or New York Giants

Vs. NFC West: San Francisco 49ers/Los Angeles Rams or Arizona Cardinals

Vs. AFC West: Kansas City Chiefs or Las Vegas Raiders

Other Week 18 Games with Impact

Seattle at San Francisco and Cardinals at Rams

The NFC West is the most interesting division with all four teams being a potential opponent. The Seahawks, 49ers and Rams could each end up in second place while the Rams and 49ers can also finish third. The Cardinals own the basement of the division. This will all be decided by the end of the Week 18 weekend of NFC West matchups.

Remaining Schedule

Outside of those three games, the Saints’ 2026 season opponents are set. They’ll play nine games at home and eight on the road, as the 17-game calendar alternates back to a heavier home schedule. Interestingly, New Orleans will not play a single game outside of the Eastern or Central time zones, making travel very manageable.

That is, unless New Orleans ends up playing a game in Paris in 2026, a scenario that now appears more likely to be pushed back until 2027.