New Orleans Saints fans’ rooting guide for NFL Week 7

Week 7 is proving to be a huge test for the New Orleans Saints. Michael Thomas is will miss Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers after a cryptic tweet on Sunday morning, while Emmanuel Sanders is out after testing positive for COVID. The Panthers have proven to be a tough squad under Matt Rhule, winning three of their last four after an 0-2 start.

The Saints will, as always, need a bit of help around the NFC. However, six weeks in, the haves and have nots are starting to emerge. It’s difficult to tell what category the Saints fit in as of right now. Here’s who Saints fans should be rooting for around the league as we try to find out.

Early games

Dallas Cowboys (2-4) vs. Washington Football Team (1-5)

The NFC East is proving to be a supremely annoying division. Someone from this conference has to make the playoffs, and if the Saints get a wild card spot there’s a decent chance they’ll be stuck playing them. Washington is the less annoying option of the two, so root for them I guess.

Detroit Lions (2-4) vs. Atlanta Falcons (1-5)

The Falcons notched their first win of the season last week under Raheem Morris, and any other wins moving forward would just be nuisance in an NFC South that’s seemingly full of middling teams. The Lions have had a lot of struggles this year, but hope that they find their footing today and keep the Falcons firmly in the basement.

Late games

The Buccaneers play the Raiders while the 49ers play the Patriots, no conflicts of interest here. In the Bucs game though, really hope that Las Vegas pulls through, now that its offensive line has reportedly been cleared to play. It was nice to see the Packers go down last week, but if they start to feel themselves the Buccaneers could be dangerous, particularly with the addition of Antonio Brown.

Primetime

Seattle Seahawks (5-0) vs. Arizona Cardinals (4-2)

This game definitely earned its primetime spot in place of Raiders-Bucs, which was flexed when there were concerns about whether the two could play. The Seahawks have proven to be one of the NFL’s most resilient teams, while the Cardinals have been one of its most surprising. Hope that the Cardinals manage to keep things rolling, as an undefeated Seahawks team can be very troublesome as the playoff picture continues to unfold.

Chicago Bears (5-1) vs. Los Angeles Rams (4-2)

This game is kind of a crapshoot. At what point do we stop chalking the Bears’ record up to luck, and in that same vein, when do we start to pay more attention to the Rams? The Rams are flying under the radar a bit right now as they share a division with the Seahawks and Cardinals, while the Bears just keep getting “lucky” passes for solid wins. Hope the Rams end up winning this game, but both of these teams can be wild card issues down the stretch if it comes to that for the Saints.