The New Orleans Saints have not been able to solve their problems on the road and with the Seattle Seahawks looking like the top seed in the NFC, the team has a must-win game away from home against the Carolina Panthers in Week 16 and if they win, they get the number two seed, but if they lose, the division title in the NFC South could go to Cam Newton.
The Saints had a chance to challenge the Seahawks for the number one seed, but the team lost at CenturyLink Field a few weeks ago and after defeating the Panthers at home and losing to the Rams on Sunday, the Saints must win in Carolina to keep their number two seed. A win against Cam Newton for Drew Brees would put the Saints in the driver's seat and would give them the number two seed and a chance at a first round bye, but if they lose, the Panthers can take the division if they win out. The loss of the division would be huge for the Saints, as they have been in the lead all season and on top of that, they need a home game.
The team has been terrible on the road and Garrett Hartley may be out of a job after missing two kicks on Sunday against the Rams in a bad loss in St. Louis and if Drew Brees and company can't win on the road, their playoff chances might be toast, even if they make it into the postseason. The wild card teams in the NFC will have tough roads no matter who they play, as the Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles and whoever wins the South are all formidable teams and could be trouble in the playoffs.
The Saints come into the game against the Panthers at 10-4 and that is the same record that Carolina has after defeating the Jets and the team has been rolling all season, winning nine of the past 10 games, apart from the loss to New Orleans. The team started off 1-3 this season, but pulled off an eight game winning streak and now they are in position to win the division if they take the last two games against the Saints at home and then against the Falcons on the road.
The Saints have lost two of the last three games and they are in the middle of a dour game stretch on the road in five weeks and they have their final matchup of the season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 17. Drew Brees has had another fantastic season, but if the team can't get things together, they could end up with an early ticket home in the playoffs.