Saints hope Superdome magic can carry over to road games

Associated Press

SEATTLE

A year ago, the New Orleans Saints rode the raucous enthusiasm of the Superdome through the NFC playoffs to the first Super Bowl title in franchise history.

Hope they waved goodbye to the Superdome on their way out of town earlier this week. There’s a good chance if these Saints are going to get all the way back to the league’s title game, they’ll be asked to do it on the road.

The first stop on their postseason road trip begins Saturday in Seattle, against the Seahawks in the first round of the NFC playoffs.

It doesn’t quite seem right the defending champs and an 11-win team this season would be asked to travel 2,000 miles on a short week to face the first division champs in league history with a losing record — and a team the Saints beat 34-19 in Week 11.

“We all have a formula for getting in. We all know ahead of time. No one was upset about it or complaining about it before the start of the season,” Saints coach Sean Payton said. “I think that value of winning your division means something. Just as a season ago when the postseason began, the teams that are in now really are 0-0. That’s just the truth. I think our players understand that more than anything.”

But the task in front of the Saints as the No. 5 seed in the NFC became seemingly more difficult as the week progressed.

There’s the second consecutive short week having played at Atlanta on Dec. 27, losing at home to Tampa Bay last Sunday and taking off Thursday after practice to make the five-hour flight to Seattle. There’s the Pacific Northwest weather, where rain and even a chance of some light snow are being forecast for Saturday.

There’s the Saints history, which tells the story of a franchise that has never won, let alone played well, away from the Superdome in the playoffs.