The New Orleans Saints lost to the Miami Dolphins in Week 13 and fell to 2-10 on the season. This year was always going to be a transition year, and with mention from ownership that it's a rebuilding year, the playoff odds weren't the Saints' concern.
But, heading into Week 13, the Saints were still alive in the playoff hunt, though their chances of making a surprise run were likely less than one percent by any metric.
After their Week 13 loss to the Dolphins, as the NFL on Fox shared, the Saints have been officially eliminated from playoff contention. The Saints' season will end after Week 18, as New Orleans will miss the playoffs in Kellen Moore's first season.
Saints are officially eliminated from playoff contention
With the Saints eliminated, there's not a lot to play for for the remainder of the season. Any win won't help the Saints get close to a playoff spot, and a loss doesn't change their playoff odds.
But there's still a lot to learn about this Saints team for the rest of the season. While Moore isn't going anywhere, seeing what he can do to close out the year will make his job safer in 2026.
But, there might not be a more important outcome for the rest of the season than what Tyler Shough does. If he closes out the year strong and looks like a potential franchise quarterback, then the Saints might not draft a quarterback in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
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New Orleans is currently slated to pick second overall, and whether this pick is used on a quarterback, used on one of the top non-quarterbacks, or used to trade down with a team looking to draft a quarterback will be determined by how Shough looks the rest of the year.
Despite the playoff hopes being over, there's still a lot to watch for with the Saints the rest of the season. Shough, Moore, Chris Olave, and many other young players are reasons to tune in every week.
This season can help shape the future of the Saints, making the final five weeks of the 2025 NFL season very important ones for New Orleans despite zero playoff hopes.
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