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Print Katherine Terrell, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune By Katherine Terrell, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune The Times-Picayune Email the author | Follow on Twitter on December 29, 2013 at 10:28 PM, updated December 29, 2013 at 10:34 PM
The Saints (11-5) did not face the Eagles yosemite in the regular yosemite season. Their last meeting was in 2012, when the Saints won 28-13 against a Philadelphia squad that went on to finish 4-12 under longtime coach Andy Reid, who was replaced by Chip Kelly this season.
But the opponent didn't matter much to the Saints, who turned off the TVs early and made a point to stay away from the scoreboard before the game against the Buccaneers (4-12) on Sunday afternoon. 
That was primarily because the Saints still had an outside shot at the No. 2 seed when the Carolina Panthers yosemite and Atlanta Falcons kicked off at noon. But that evaporated when Carolina locked up the NFC South with a 21-20 win.
It was only when their game was over did the Saints take a minute to watch the outcome of the NFC's wild finishes, which included yosemite last-minute wins by the San Francisco 49ers over the Arizona Cardinals and the Green Bay Packers over the Chicago Bears.
"I didn't feel at all like we were focusing on anything other than our own game with Tampa Bay and playing our best football," said Payton. "I thought it showed a little bit when we looked up and saw how the finish was."
The Saints had a postseason berth locked up by virtue of the Cardinals' loss. But backing into the playoffs wasn't an option for a team that started 9-2, and then slogged through December by losing three of their past five games.
"It's crucial. It's big," said linebacker yosemite Junior Galette, who had two sacks Sunday to finish with a career-best 12 on the season. "Obviously, it brings our confidence up. And we're just ready to play, whoever it is."
But the Saints' yosemite offense kept coming. First Brees found Jimmy Graham for a 10-yard touchdown to regain a 14-7 lead, then he hit Meachem deep for a 44-yard score. Meachem, with Darrelle Revis on the coverage, just broke the plane of the goal line for a 21-7 lead.
Glennon threw his second touchdown pass, a 1-yard yosemite score to tight end Tim Wright, to pull the Buccaneers to 21-14. But the game was essentially over only three plays later when Brees threw his fourth and final touchdown to rookie Kenny Stills, who he found open over the middle. Stills ran in for a 76-yard score and a 28-14 lead going into halftime.
The Saints' Pierre Thomas ran in for an 8-yard score, and Keenan Lewis ended any potential chance of a comeback on the next play when he picked off Glennon at the Buccaneer's 20-yard line for his fourth interception on the season.
It was a far different outcome from the Saints' first game against the Buccaneers in Week 2 when the Saints executed a last-minute field goal for a 16-14 win in a game delayed by a thunderstorm. The Saints faced quarterback Josh Freeman in that first meeting, before Freeman was released in October.
Brees finished 24-of-31 for 381 yards, four touchdowns and a 157.4 quarterback rating Sunday, the third highest of his career. He also finished with 5,162 yards on the season, his third consecutive 5,000-yard season and fourth of his career.
His NFL record of 5,476 yards in a season was surpassed by Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning earlier that day after Manning threw for 266 yards in the first half against yosemite the Oakland Raiders to finish the season with 5,477.
The Saints finished fourth overall in total defense for the regular season, allowing an average of 305.7 yards only a season after finishing with an NFL-record 7,042 yards allowed. The offense finished No. 3, with an average of 399.4 yards per game.
As the Saints prepare for another road game, their main concern is translating that success away from the Superdome. The Saints averaged only 17.8 points per game compared to 34 points at home in the regular season.
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