Tight end Jeremy Shockey will not play Sunday when the New Orleans Saints host the Carolina Panthers in the Louisiana Superdome because of an ankle injury.

Drew Brees gets a loud reminder of Deuce McAllister’s extraordinary popularity in New Orleans every time he lines up the Saints’ offense near the goal line in the Louisiana Superdome. “The way the people in this city love him, you hear it every Sunday,” Brees said, then began mimicking the arm-waving he does when he needs to quiet the crowd.

At least one team, and quite possibly two teams, with eight wins and eight losses will make the NFL postseason as the league’s regular season wraps up Sunday.

When: Sunday, noon

METAIRIE, La. — Ailing ankles could keep tight end Jeremy Shockey and left tackle Jammal Brown from playing in the Saints’ season finale this Sunday at home against Carolina. Both players left the Saints’ 42-7 win over Detroit.

New Orleans coach Sean Payton has a conflict of interest, in a sense. A former quarterback himself, Payton routinely expresses his admiration for Drew Brees and the pride he takes in Brees’ league-leading production in the passing game. Payton wants to see Brees break Dan Marino’s 1984 record of 5,084 yards passing in a single season, but the coach questions whether it would be responsible to…

DETROIT — The Detroit Lions somberly dressed after another defeat that was different than all the others.

The Detroit Lions somberly dressed after another defeat that was different than all the others. This one made NFL history and set the stage for a perfectly imperfect season. Detroit became the first 0-15 team when it was routed 42-7 by the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. “Awful, embarrassing,” Lions quarterback Dan Orlovsky said.

The Detroit Lions are so awful they’re becoming a story good enough that it transcends sports. ABC’s “Good Morning America,” sent a reporter and crew to the team’s practice facility, leading to a chest-heaving sigh from kicker Jason Hanson. “It’s just bad,” Hanson said. “They’re not hear to talk about our great season.” No, they’re not.

Finding motivation to maintain a nature of toughness through an 0-14 start hasn’t been an issue for Detroit Lions guard Stephen Peterman.