By Mike Triplett, The Times-Picayune
New Orleans Saints Coach Sean Payton stressed that his team will make every effort to win Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, despite the fact that they might not be able to improve their playoff seed.
The Saints (11-4) can earn the NFC’s No. 1 seed, a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs if they win Sunday and the Falcons (12-3) lose at home to the lowly Carolina Panthers. Otherwise, the Saints will finish as the fifth seed in the NFC.