5 NFL teams that must win in Week 14

3. New Orleans Saints

This is the portion of the list where we are now looking at teams with serious playoff positioning on the line. The New Orleans Saints certainly fit the bill, and they already have the NFC South title wrapped up.

That piece of business was taken care of on Thanksgiving night, with the Saints avenging a brutal loss to the Atlanta Falcons by surviving the short week with a 26-18 victory. The Saints made things interesting late by letting the Falcons recover a pair of onside kicks but averted disaster by closing out the division title.

There are concerns with New Orleans right now, however, and they begin with the team’s uneven play since Drew Brees returned from his thumb injury. Brees himself hasn’t been much of the problem, but the team’s defense has been inconsistent and the special teams were a disaster on Thanksgiving.

Besides the importance of getting into peak form as the playoffs approach, the Saints have a massive opportunity to gain home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs with a win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. The Saints have already beaten the Seahawks earlier this season, and a win over San Francisco would give them a head-to-head tiebreaker over both NFC West contenders.

This game is in New Orleans, and the Saints took advantage in a similar spot last season, beating the Los Angeles Rams to ensure the road to the Super Bowl went through the Superdome. A loss wouldn’t be a killer for the Saints, who would still have a great shot at a first-round bye, but it would severely hinder their chances of having home field advantage.