If the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons tie in a regular-season game, the result simply goes into the standings as a tie for both teams (record shows as, for example, 9ā€‘7ā€‘1 instead of 9ā€‘8).

Basic impact on standings

  • Each team is credited with half a win and half a loss , which is why records with ties are written with three numbers (winsā€‘lossesā€‘ties).
  • Playoff seeding and division races are based on winning percentage , so a 9ā€‘7ā€‘1 team has a higher percentage than a 9ā€‘8 team because that tie counts as 0.5 win and 0.5 loss.

Saints vs. Falcons rivalry flavor

The Saintsā€“Falcons matchup is one of the NFLā€™s longest-running and most heated rivalries, so a tie would feel especially unsatisfying for both fanbases.

Instead of the usual bragging rights that come with a win, fans would likely spend the week arguing about missed chances, coaching decisions, and ā€œwhat should have happenedā€ in the fourth quarter or overtime.

How it affects playoff tiebreakers

If the Saints and Falcons finish with the same winning percentage at the end of the season (for example, thanks to that tie), the NFL uses division and playoff tiebreaker rules to decide who finishes higher.

For two teams in the same division, the league applies this order:

  1. Headā€‘toā€‘head record (so that tied game plus the other matchup between them).
  2. Division record.
  3. Record in common games.
  4. Conference record and then strength of victory, strength of schedule, and so on, down to net points and, in extreme cases, a coin toss.

In-game and overtime context

  • In the regular season, ties only happen if the game is still tied after the full overtime period; once time expires, the game ends with no second overtime.
  • In the playoffs, games cannot end in a tie; they continue with extra overtime periods until someone wins, so thereā€™s no ā€œSaints and Falcons tieā€ scenario in a playoff game.

So in short, if the Saints and Falcons tie, both teams walk away frustrated, their rivalry gets another weird chapter, and that single game can quietly swing the division or wildā€‘card race later because of how winning percentage and tiebreakers work.

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Wondering what happens if the Saints and Falcons tie? This breakdown explains how a tie affects their records, playoff tiebreakers, and the intensity of the NFC South rivalry.

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