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Andy Dalton was ready to make a quick correction when a reporter suggested that last week’s game in Cleveland may not have been the most enjoyable experience.
“We definitely have fun,” Dalton said with a smile.
Despite hours of exposure to frigid and miserable conditions, Dalton and his other New Orleans Saints teammates had a great time. It’s a by-product of winning in decidedly unenjoyable weather when the team desperately needs it.
The Saints have won 2 in a row for the first time this season, and have won 3 in their last 5 games. Well, if they can find some more.
With two weeks left, the Saints’ only hope of continuing the season rests on winning their final two games, and they still need a lot of help. For the Saints to win the division, Tampa must also lose. He would need at least two losses from Tampa to earn the No. 7 seed as a wild card.
It’s enough to wonder if New Orleans are just playing with strings, but after seeing the Saints put up with what they did to win in Cleveland, it’s hard to make that statement. It will be difficult. Then I saw a raucous celebration in the locker room.
Receiver Rashid Shaheed said, “We know we’re not exactly where we should be this season. But we know we have work to do. Just quit.” We can’t give up, we have to keep doing what we can to win.”
Although the postseason outlook is rather bleak, the Saints are committed to holding out for the end of the negotiations.
“We’re trying to play playoff football,” said safety Tyrann Mathieu. “I think we’ve really been in that mode over the last couple of weeks. Obviously it’s not looking good for us, but we still have a chance, so the last two games are like playoff games. I am trying to approach
The Philadelphia Eagles could secure the NFC’s No. 1 playoff seed. It’s more important than ever because it gives Philadelphia the conference’s only first-round bye and home field advantage.
The Eagles are likely without starting quarterback and MVP candidate Jalen Hurts, who missed last week’s game and Wednesday’s practice with a shoulder injury.
Saints coach Dennis Allen said, “We’re ready to win games. I don’t think that’s going to change here. That’s the only reason we do what we do. That’s this week. is our focus of we must be trapped.
“We know there are so many opponents we will be facing, teams who are playing outstanding football on all fronts.
It didn’t have to be this way.
The Saints made their bed while losing nine of their first 13 contests. The team was treated unexpectedly badly in the injury department, but they also had a few opportunities to slip through their fingers and clean up the game. A win sometime in October or he in November would have made these two weeks more interesting for him.
But revisionist history is not concerned with saints at this point.
“It’s one of finding ways to win in the end when you look at a team with a winning record — a team that’s considered some of the best in the league,” Dalton said. “We haven’t been able to do that enough this year.
“You can go back in time and look at four or five games and say, ‘If a few plays were different, if we were doing this, our record would be very different than it is now. . . ‘But that’s everyone.’
You can’t do anything if you miss your chance. If you focus too much on opportunities, you lose sight of what’s in front of you. Not a great opportunity, but an opportunity nonetheless.
“At the end of the day, if we don’t handle things we can control, it doesn’t matter,” Dalton said. “So our mindset is, we have two games left, so let’s win the next two and see what happens from there.”
Beat writer Terrin Wak contributed to this report
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