The New Orleans Saints (9-8) did what they needed to do on Sunday with a dominant 48-17 win over the Atlanta Falcons (7-10) to keep their slim post-season hopes alive.
Unfortunately, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-8), a team the Saints defeated last week, limped their way to their third-straight NFC South division title with a 9-0 win over the hapless Carolina Panthers (2-15) and all but closed the door on the Saints' narrowing chance to reach the playoffs for the first time since the 2020-21 season.
With the Bucs win, New Orleans needed help from both the Chicago Bears and the Arizona Cardinals – by defeating the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks, respectively – for the Saints to secure an NFC wild-card berth.
However, the Packers ended the Saints' hopes with a 17-9 win over the Bears, to clinch the NFC's final wild-card spot.
Following the game, Falcons head coach Arthur Smith and Saints coach Dennis Allen had a heated exchange at midfield after the game, shortly after New Orleans scored a touchdown to go up by 24 points with just over a minute to play.
Allen said he regretted the late touchdown, and he apologized to the Falcons.
"I'm going to start off by apologizing to Arthur Smith and the Falcons," Allen said in the post-game press conference. "That was not a play that we intended to run down there to finish out that game. That's not who we are. That's not how we operate. We should have taken a knee so I want to apologize to them."
Here is what some of the national and local pundits have to say about the Saints' game:
- Saints secure Week 18 win, now need help to clinch NFC wild-card berth — Aaron S. Lee, WWL Louisiana
- Derek Carr passes for 4 TDs, Saints hold slim playoff hopes after routing Falcons — Brett Martel, AP
- 3 things we learned about Saints in a beatdown of Falcons — Rod Walker, The Times-Picayune | New Orleans Advocate
- Arthur Smith yelled angrily at Dennis Allen at the end of the Saints-Falcons game — Patrick Magee, Nola.com
- Coaches Arthur Smith, Dennis Allen have heated exchange following Saints-Falcons — Lukas Weese, The Athletic
- Saints Insider Postgame Show: Saints beat Falcons, now wait for help — Nola.com
- Dennis Allen apologizes after Arthur Smith yelled at him over late TD in Saints-Falcons — Patrick Magee, Nola.com
- Saints players defy own coaches and score from kneel-down situation, angering Falcons — Brett Martel, AP
- Falcons' Arthur Smith rips Dennis Allen in heated exchange, Saints HC apologizes — Cody Benjamin, CBS Sports
- Shannon Sharpe offers brutal takedown of Jameis Winston and Saints franchise — Patrick Magee, Nola.com
- Saints fall short of the playoffs as breaks don't fall their way in Week 18 — Patrick Magee, Nola.com
- Fun Finish makes reality that much more painful – 2023 Saints weren't good enough — Jeff Duncan, Nola.com
- Notable numbers from Saints' Week 18 blowout victory over Falcons — Spencer Urquhart, Nola.com
- Falcons fire coach Arthur Smith as Saints' rout provides final blow in 3-year tenure — AP
- Buccaneers clinch NFC South title with 9-0 win over Panthers — Steve Reed, AP
The win over the Falcons gives the Saints their first winning season since 2021-22, when New Orleans finished 9-8 as well, and is two wins better than last year's 7-10 campaign.
The victory also gives Saints head coach Dennis Allen his first winning regular-season record. Aside from last year's losing record in New Orleans, coached the then-Oakland Raiders to back-to-back 4-12 seasons before being fired following an 0-4 start in 2014.
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