New Orleans Saints closes out season against Carolina today

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NEW ORLEANS -- Today marks the final regular season game for the New Orleans Saints, and a number of questions will definitely be answered when they host the Carolina Panthers for a 12 noon kickoff.
The first question that must be answered going into the game is how long will Drew Brees and the rest of the starters play in a meaningless game?
That question is yet to be addressed by Saints head coach Sean Payton. But, one would suspect that the likes of Brees, Thomas, Kamara and Ingram will not see the field a ton during the course of the game.
Right now, an even bigger question for New Orleans is how are they going to handle the offensive line. The big men in the trenches for the Saints are having some issues with injuries and need some much needed rest before the big push in the post-season.
The same can be said for a defensive unit that has been the best in the league the last eight weeks. For the Saints to have any shot at being in Atlanta in February, those players on the defensive side of the ball could use some down time.
As they await their opponent in the playoffs, New Orleans is in the most enviable position in the entire National Football Conference. Regardless of what happens today against Carolina, the Saints own the home field advantage throughout the playoffs and with that a first round bye in the post-season.
The last time New Orleans found themselves in this same position was back in 2009, the year that the Saints took home the Super Bowl Trophy.
Payton knows how vitally important being in the Superdome for the entire playoffs is for his team.
“It’s significant, when you play these games, as important as they become, having your crowd affect the communication,” stated Payton. “I thought we got pretty loud this past game and I know we’ll be louder in the postseason. It’s what you work for at the beginning of the season when you set your goal on winning the division, the next goal then is getting the best seed you can possibly get,”
“Knowing that you’re going to have a chance to defend your own field in your environment it’s been a big plus for us,” he continued. “If you went all the way back even to 2006, our record at home has been significant.”
The good thing about playing the Panthers is that they will also be looking to find diamonds in the rough so to speak. Carolina is a team on a huge slide, having lost their last seven games in a row.
Head coach Ron Rivera looks as if he is going to use this game as a way to evaluate the talent on his roster. Rivera has already named rookie back-up quarterback Kyle Allen as the starter. Normal starting quarterback Cam Newton is supposedly nursing an injured shoulder and will not play.
Allen played two seasons at Texas A&M before transferring and playing his senior season at Houston. He made his NFL debut last week against the Atlanta Falcons. He finished the game a perfect 4-for-4 for 38 yards.