It’s over: The New Orleans Saints are eliminated from playoff contention

The New Orleans Saints have been officially eliminated from the playoffs.

The Atlanta Falcons’ 34-7 victory against the New York Giants on Sunday was the clincher.

The Saints (5-9), who play the Green Bay Packers on Monday night at Lambeau Field, cannot finish better than 8-9, and the Falcons (8-7) hold the upper hand in any three-way tiebreaker scenario in the NFC South Division by virtue of their 3-1 record in head-to-head games against the Saints and Bucs, who would both be 2-2.  The Bucs (8-6) play the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night.

This is the fourth consecutive season the Saints have missed the postseason. The last time they failed to make the playoffs for four consecutive seasons was 2002-2005.