Both teams have had a fairly similar schedule in terms of difficulty so far

Off a short week and facing a far inferior squad in the Washington Redskins, this was a definite flat spot for the Saints. With only a couple minutes to go the Redskins were leading 30-23 and looked to be in good shape to hand New Orleans their first loss. Potential league MVP Drew Brees had other ideas though as he tied the game with a 53 yard bomb to Robert Meachum to tie the game. The Saints would eventually force a turnover in overtime before kicker Garrett Hartley kicked the game’s winning field goal to push New Orleans to 12-0. With their wins, each team claimed their division crowns, so what motivation do they have to keep up their torrid pace to the year Well to start with, they still have home field advantage to clinch throughout the playoffs. Minnesota’s loss tonight goes a long way in helping the Saints hold them off, though at only two games back they certainly aren’t out of it.

Advantage: Colts Now let’s look at how each team got to this point so far this year. Both teams have had a fairly similar schedule in terms of difficulty so far. The Colts have played four winning teams, five losing teams and one with an even record. In contrast New Orleans has faced three winning teams, six losing teams and three even teams We’ll call that one a draw. But who has been more impressive in their victories thus far Both offenses have been on fire with the Colts scoring 331 points and 41TDs and the Saints scoring 440 points and 56 TDs. In addition to the moderate advantage the Saints have there, New Orleans also boasts a 189 point net difference between their points for and points allowed, a number which is 59 points more than that of the Colts. Indy will only face one divisional rival in the Jags, while New Orleans will take on all three of theirs.

In all, Indy’s opponent’s hold a 25-23 combined record so far and the Saints’ opponents rank slightly under that with a 20-28 record. To pick a decisive winner here would be splitting hairs so it may come down to whose opponents will have more to play for Indy’s two games vs. Wildcard teams in Denver and Jacksonville will surely be spirited, and the Jets are only one game back of the Patriots for their division lead. The only game which their opposition may be packing it in could come in the season finale in Buffalo where both teams will most likely have very little to play for. For the Saints, Atlanta has been faltering, though remain in a Wildcard hunt and Dallas will be pressing to keep their lead atop the NFC East. Games against Tampa and Carolina should be a walk in the park unless Sean Payton decides to sit down some of his starters in the last two weeks. In a slight lean, I say Advantage: Saints To close out the regular season I would overall give once again, a slight lean to the Saints to remain undefeated, however the truth is both teams have very legitimate shots. Reason being is while both Indy and New Orleans are battle tested and have shown great resilience, I think the Saints have just proved themselves against more quality opponents.

Indy narrowly beat the Pats 35-34 on a controversial play and outside of that game their only significant wins could maybe be a win over Arizona when the Cards were struggling at the beginning of the year, and a narrow 17-15 win over the Ravens. In contrast New Orleans has already taken down a few of the league’s stronger teams and done so in impressive fashion. The Eagles, Giants and Patriots have all been blown out by the Saints and it hasn’t been close. In those three games the Saints outscored their opponents by a combined 134-66 margin.