METAIRIE, La. – Drew Brees happily entertains playoff possibilities for the New Orleans Saints, figuring that the question of whether a 5-6 team deserves to be in the NFC wild card race is irrelevant.
Despite an 0-4 start and their latest loss on Sunday to San Francisco, New Orleans remains one game out with five games left. To Brees, that means the Saints are virtually in control of their playoff fate — even if that is not entirely the case.
The Saints head to their Thursday night showdown at NFC South Division rival Atlanta (10-1) still alive for a postseason berth, but with minimal room for error and a tough schedule ahead.
New Orleans will need Seattle, Minnesota and Tampa Bay to lose. Of those teams, only the Buccaneers appear on the Saints' remaining schedule.
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