Alvin Kamara

Third time lucky? Not in the NFL, it would appear. When they clash Sunday in their NFC Wild Card game, it will be the third meeting of the season between NFC South rivals New Orleans and Carolina. The Saints took the first two meetings. This will be the 21st time since 1970 that two NFL teams have met three times in one season and one team has taken all three games on 13 occasions.

Last week, the New Orleans Saints toppled the Carolina Panthers to move to the head of the class in the NFC South. Now they must deal with the defending NFC champion Atlanta Falcons to lock away the crown. The Saints and Falcons meet Thursday in Atlanta and again Dec. 24 in New Orleans, and in each of the past four seasons, the team that won the first game swept the series.