The road to the Super Bowl got significantly tougher for the Saints

As we bid a fond adieu to 2019, the New Orleans Saints and Who Dat Nation can also wave bye-bye to NFC homefield advantage, the conference’s Nos. 1 and 2 seeds and the accompanying opening-round byes in the upcoming NFL playoffs.

All together now:

BYE BYE!

I can’t hear you!

BYE BYE!

And say a hearty Who Dat HELLO to the No. 3 seed and the right to host a wildcard game Sunday at 12:05 p.m. (Fox) against the sixth-seeded Minnesota Vikings at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

Now before anyone in Black and Gold country starts placing blame elsewhere and not on their beloved football heroes for losing (yes, losing) one of the coveted top two seeds, please think again: People, the Saints don’t have anyone to blame but themselves.

The No. 1 seed was there for the Saints’ taking weeks ago in home games against the San Francisco 49ers (Week 14) and Atlanta Falcons (Week 10). Both home losses proved costly.

And don’t dare lay blame at the feet of the officiating crew that called Sunday night’s spectacular ending to the regular season at deafening CenturyLink Field in downtown Seattle. Yes, officials appeared to miss a defensive pass interference penalty in the end zone against the 49ers in the final minute of their game against Seattle. League officials viewing the game from New York compounded the matter with their silence.

But the Saints could have taken care of business a long time ago and not been forced to rely on the charitable offerings of the Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions, who with victories Sunday against the 49ers and Green Bay Packers, respectively, would have helped New Orleans claim the No. 1 seed.

Oh they tried, the Seahawks and Lions did. But, in the end, the 49ers and Packers prevailed in stunning fashion with last-second road victories to earn next weekend off and and an extra week to prepare for divisional-round home games Jan. 12.

To the victors go the spoils.

Now let’s make one thing crystal clear: The No. 3 seed isn’t a consolation prize. Sure, it’s not a first- or second-seed but the Saints can still get to where they want to go from their vantage point. Last time I looked, the road from New Orleans at No. 3 still leads to Super Bowl LIV the night of Feb. 2 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL.

It just requires a few pit stops along the way, perhaps at venerable Lambeau Field in Green Bay, WI., and Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA.

But yes, the road still leads to Super Bowl LIV from New Orleans.

No one said winning a second Lombardi Trophy would be easy. Then again, no one said the Saints would be inches away — literally inches away — from wrapping their hands around the No. 2 seed in the NFC.

If Seahawks tight end Jacob Hollister somehow would have broken the plane of the end zone with nine seconds remaining Sunday night, instead of being stonewalled by 49ers rookie linebacker Dre Greenlaw within sniffing distance of the goal line, it would be the Saints holding the No. 2 seed in the NFC.

And not the Packers.

If the Seahawks had been able to hand the ball to RB Marshawn “Beast Mode’‘ Lynch from the 1-yard line during those frantic final seconds and not been called for an inexplicable delay of game penalty that pushed the ball back to the 6, it would be the Saints saying HELLO to a opening round bye and divisional-round home game in 2020.

And not BYE-BYE to 2019.

This story was originally published December 30, 2019 at 10:59 AM.