HISTORY LIKES NFC NO. 1S

If history is an indicator of things to come, then the New Orleans Saints can’t wait for the NFL divisional round of the playoffs this weekend. Not only are they the No. 1 seed in the NFC, they also have the past working in their favor.

According to our well-oiled machine, 16 No. 1 seeds from the NFC have gone on to claim the Super Bowl trophy since 1975, including the Philadelphia Eagles last season. That figure towers over the 9 No. 1 seeds from the AFC that won the Super Bowl over the same span.

The only time the Saints captured the ultimate prize was in Super Bowl XLIV in 2010. That season (2009), New Orleans finished 13-3 and entered the postseason as the NFC’s No. 1 seed. And for good measure, New Orleans scored 48 points against the Eagles that season and also did so in a Week 11 win in November.

Divisional round doings

All records are in the divisional round since1980 and are SU (straight

up) and/or ATS (against the spread):

❚ AFC No. 1 seeds in divisional round games (Kansas City Chiefs’ spot this year) are 18-10 SU and 11-16-1 ATS. NFC No. 1 seeds (New Orleans’ spot) are 24-4 SU and 18-10 ATS.

❚ Rested home teams (Kansas City, New England Patriots, New Orleans, Los Angeles Rams) are 108-41 SU and 7668-5 ATS.

❚ Teams coming off a SU underdog win in the wild-card round (Chargers, Colts and Eagles) are 11-43 SU and 20-34 ATS.