In general there has been much chatter towards the end of this season (as far as I can tell) in the media and among fans about how having the #1 seed (and thus homefield advantage) is not necessarily a great thing in the playoffs.  To attempt to resolve this at least partially, as well as to (hopefully) make myself feel better about the Saints' chances, I looked at how home teams have fared in the playoffs since 2000.  Because the Saints are not playing in the first round, I ignored that round and only looked at the 2nd and 3rd playoff weekends. 

Since (and including) 2000, the home teams in the 2nd and 3rd weekend of the NFL playoffs are 34-20 (for a percentage of .629629~).  That is a bit higher than I might have guessed- higher than the regular season home field advantage (whicn is in the mid to high 50s, I believe). 

I think this is an example of selective memory- people are more inclined to remember "upset" games as "significant"; when the #1 seed beets the #5 seed, that's not particularly "significant" in someone's memory.  So of course there are upsets every year, and many people are inclined to remember the upsets of past years and assume that they are more common than they really are.

Thoughts?  Go Saints!