NEW ORLEANS — The regular-season finale between the Atlanta Falcons and the host New Orleans Saints showcases the NFL’s efforts to promote parity.
Neither team has a winning record heading into the latest showdown in their old rivalry, yet both are still playing meaningful football. The Falcons (7-9) and the Saints (8-8) remain mathematically alive for a postseason berth heading into Sunday’s meeting in the Superdome.
“Thankfully, luckily, we’ve still got a chance,” Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu said.
Winning the game won’t be enough by itself. But if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-8) slip up against the host Carolina Panthers (2-14), the winner of the Falcons-Saints game will win the NFC South title and join the 14-team field for this year’s NFL playoffs.
If the Bucs win to repeat as division champions, the Falcons, who have lost three of their last four games, will be eliminated. The Saints, however, would still have a path to a wild-card spot with a win over Atlanta and losses by both the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks later Sunday.
“The thankful thing for us is at least we have an opportunity,” Falcons coach Arthur Smith said. “A little bit is obviously out of our control, but what we do control is a huge game. Prepare for the Saints. Go down there Sunday, and let’s see what happens.”
Mathieu, who grew up in New Orleans and was a college star at LSU, conceded he had become “nervous” the Saints might slip out of playoff contention in early December after they’d lost three straight and five of seven.
“Any time you lose two or three games in a row, you can kind of see your goals slipping away from you,” Mathieu said.
The Saints lost six games this season by eight or fewer points. The lengthy and ongoing injury-related absences of key players, including cornerback Marshon Lattimore and receiver Michael Thomas, hasn’t helped.
But rather than regret what might have been, Mathieu emphasized how much better than the alternative it has been to show up for work knowing that all is not lost — at least not yet — and that’s because the Saints have won three of their past four.
“It’s a damn good feeling, given everything we’ve kind of been through — the injuries and the late-game collapses,” Mathieu said. “It’s cool to be in this position.”
While the Saints have been increasingly pleased by quarterback Derek Carr’s play during the past month, there’s uncertainty at quarterback for Atlanta, which has used both Taylor Heinicke and Desmond Ridder this season.
With Ridder benched last month for the second time this season, Heinicke made his second straight start last Sunday. He completed 10 of 29 passes for 163 yards in snowy and windy conditions and was intercepted three times during a lopsided loss to the host Chicago Bears.
After Heinicke left the game with an ankle injury that clouded his status against the Saints, Ridder threw another interception.
“It’s been an up and down year. There certainly has been change in that room,” Smith said of the quarterbacks, but added that he still has faith in whoever takes the field in New Orleans.
Carr hasn’t missed a start, but he has been knocked out of three games this season with shoulder and rib injuries, along with two concussions. At times his play was so erratic he was booed by fans in the Superdome, but he has played some of his best football during the past month, completing 73% of his passes for 853 yards and 10 touchdowns while being intercepted just twice.
“He’s been performing much better over the last month,” Saints coach Dennis Allen said. “I think a lot of that is health related.”
Quarterback isn’t the only position where there have been changes for Atlanta.
The Falcons have given rookies such as safety DeMarcco Hellams, cornerback Clark Phillips III and defensive lineman Zach Harrison bigger roles in the second half of the season.
Hellams and Phillips have moved into the starting lineup while sharing time with safety Richie Grant and cornerback Jeff Okudah. Harrison has all of his three sacks this season in the last three games.
“When you look at a kid like (Harrison), you know he got better this year,” assistant head coach for defense Jerry Gray said. “And he’s going to continue to get better. We’ve got some guys doing the same thing. Clark’s going to get better. DeMarcco’s going to get better. I mean, you can see that those young guys are actually getting better.”
The development of Harris was especially important after the Falcons lost top defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and Kentavius Street to injuries.
While some coaches don’t even like to discuss games other than their own, Smith said he won’t ask his players to ignore any scores posted on the scoreboard Sunday, especially Tampa Bay’s matchup with Carolina.
“Again, everybody’s personality is different,” Smith said. “That’s not going to affect how the game goes for us. … Obviously, if you win, you’re going to want to know if you’re playing next week or not. But no, that doesn’t bother me.”
Allen would rather his team block out news around the league during the game.
“None of those other things matter if we don’t take care of business,” Allen said. “What we do control is how we go out and play against Atlanta.”