BLOG: Saints rammed out of the playoffs, despite win over Falcons

ATLANTA, GEORGIA – JANUARY 09: Juwan Johnson #83 and Trevor Siemian #15 of the New Orleans Saints celebrate a touchdown during the second quarter in the game against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 09, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

by: Ed Daniels, Aaron S. Lee

Posted: Jan 9, 2022 / 02:45 PM EST

Updated: Jan 9, 2022 / 07:13 PM EST

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ATLANTA (WGNO) — With a fifth-straight playoff spot on the line, the New Orleans Saints (9-8) defeated the Falcons (7-10) in Atlanta for the NFL’s first-ever Week 18 and regular-season finale.

The Saints could have clinched the No. 7 seed in the NFC with a Los Angeles Rams (12-5) victory over the San Francisco 49ers (10-7) on the West Coast, but the Rams blew a 17-3 halftime lead to lose 27-24 in overtime.

Despite the 30-21 win over the team’s fiercest rival, the Los Angeles loss denied the Saints a postseason rematch of the infamous ‘no-call’ playoff game against the Rams from 2019.

NFC playoff matchups are set!

No. 7 @Eagles vs. No. 2 @Buccaneers
No. 6 @49ers vs. No. 3 @DallasCowboys
No. 5 @AZCardinals vs. No. 4 @RamsNFL

First round bye: No. 1 @packers #NFLPlayoffs
— NFL (@NFL) January 10, 2022