New Orleans Saints

Home: Atlanta, Carolina, Tampa Bay, Chicago, Detroit, New York Giants, Houston, Indianapolis.

Away: Atlanta, Carolina, Tampa Bay, Green Bay, Minnesota, St. Louis, Jacksonville, Tennessee.

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By Pat Yasinskas

Three things to know about next Saturday’s New Orleans Saints–Seattle Seahawks wild-card game:

1. Is Seattle’s home-field advantage really a disadvantage for the Saints? Qwest Field can be very loud and the weather could be a factor. But this Saints team doesn’t seem to know the difference between home and the road.

In the 2009 and 2010 seasons, the Saints have lost only four games on the road. One of those losses was at Carolina at the end of the 2009 season when the Saints were resting their starters. The Saints played perhaps their worst game of the last two years at Arizona earlier this season. But the only other road losses came this year against quality teams, Atlanta and Baltimore.

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By Pat Yasinskas

NEW ORLEANS –- If you go only by conventional wisdom, the New Orleans Saints aren’t in great shape as they head into the playoffs.

After Sunday’s 23-13 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Saints seem to have lost momentum. They seem burdened by injuries. But these Saints sometimes defy the laws of conventional wisdom. That’s how they won a Super Bowl championship last season. Despite Sunday’s stumble, the Saints, 11-5, believe they have a chance to repeat.

“Our expectations are exactly the same as when we came into the season,’’ quarterback Drew Brees said. “There’s no reason we can’t do it again.’

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By Pat Yasinskas

No matter what’s happening Sunday in the Superdome or the Georgia Dome, New Orleans coach Sean Payton doesn’t plan on resting his starters against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Saints are in a bit of a unique position at 11-4. They already have secured a playoff spot and they could end up as the No. 1 or No. 5 seed in the NFC playoff field. Getting the No. 1 spot would require a victory against Tampa Bay and the 12-3 Atlanta Falcons losing to the Carolina Panthers. Both games will start at 1 p.m. ET.

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By The Associated Press

New Orleans Saints (11-4) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-6)

Sunday, 1 p.m., FOX

Opening line: New Orleans by 8

Record vs. spread: Tampa Bay 8-6-1; New Orleans 6-8-1

Series record: Saints lead 22-15

Last meeting: Saints beat Buccaneers 31-6, Oct. 17, 2010

Last week: Buccaneers beat Seahawks 38-15; Saints beat Falcons 17-14

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Have you checked out the Playoff Machine on ESPN?

If not you should it’s pretty cool and it will answer all of your questions

Click here to check out the machine.

By Pat Yasinskas

Perfect sense: It’s fitting that Drew Brees and Matt Ryan made the squad because there has been a lot of talk about which one is the best quarterback in the NFC South. The New Orleans Saints defeated the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night, after the voting had concluded, but I say Brees and Ryan have had equally good seasons. They’re on the squad as backups to former NFC South player Michael Vick. It says a lot that Brees and Ryan made the team ahead of Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers.

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By Jim Corbett, USA TODAY

TLANTA — If the New Orleans Saints go on to win a second consecutive Super Bowl title, “Who Dat” nation will forever remember quarterback Drew Brees for “The Tackle.”

Before Brees punched a Monday night return postseason trip for the reigning Super Bowl champions with his late touchdown pass to rookie tight end Jimmy Graham, his touchdown-saving tackle enabled the Saints to keep alive their hopes of stamping themselves a dynasty and the first back-to-back Super Bowl winners since the 2003-2004 New England Patriots.

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By Terence Moore National Columnist

ATLANTA — So this is the look of friendly hatred in pro football. It often is goofy. It is a slew of New Orleans Saints players embarrassing themselves by returning to the visiting turf of the Georgia Dome on Monday night for a group picture after surviving the Atlanta Falcons down the stretch.

Memo to the Saints: this is the NFL, not Pop Warner League.

To be fair, linebacker Jonathan Vilma insisted after the Saints’ 17-14 victory over their biggest rivals that this wasn’t unusual.

He said it only was about memories.

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