Winning cures everything — that’s a common line you’ll hear in football circles, and it’s often true. Whether it’s personnel disagreements, contract squabbles, or just the ugliness that comes with losing, correcting the course and getting back in the win column seems to bring everyone onto the same page.
And that’s where the New Orleans Saints have put themselves. The Saints have beaten two NFC South rivals in back-to-back weeks, putting them at 4-10 on the season. And that’s moved them from what would have been a top-three pick in the 2026 NFL draft to fifth, and now seventh, after Week 15’s action. New Orleans owns a strength of schedule tiebreaker over the two other 4-10 teams, the Washington Commanders and Cincinnati Bengals.
Here’s how the top 10 picks shake out this week:
New York Giants (2-12)Las Vegas Raiders (2-12)Tennessee Titans (2-12)Cleveland Browns (3-11)New York Jets (3-11)Arizona Cardinals (3-11)New Orleans Saints (4-10)Washington Commanders (4-10)Cincinnati Bengals (4-10)Los Angeles Rams, via Atlanta Falcons (5-9)
How many more wins can the Saints get this season? Each of their final three opponents are also picking in the top 10, with the Titans and Jets each having a shot at the first overall pick. Tyler Shough playing well and making clutch throws in big moments — plus an overachieving defense — has made a big difference, and we can’t rule out the possibility they could win out. That would mean ending the year at 7-10. Their floor is probably around the 15th overall pick. This is seen as a top-heavy draft class so if you don’t have a top-four pick you’re probably looking at many of the same prospects at No. 7 as at No. 15.
And continuing to build momentum is more important than picking as early as possible in a draft like that. Gaining confidence that Shough is the guy to build around while developing a winning culture is critical. Let’s see if they can keep it up down the stretch.