Whereas the 5-5 New Orleans Saints are in last place in their division and barely clinging to hopes of a postseason berth, the 5-5 Green Bay Packers entered Week 12 locked in a three-way division tie with Chicago and Minnesota.

Either way, when the Saints play host to the Packers tonight, it's critical for both teams.

"There's a sense of urgency that this game is important, and it's certainly important for Green Bay," said New Orleans Coach Sean Payton, whose team is coming off a victory but has yet to win consecutive games this season.

The Saints were hoping tonight would mark the return of running back Reggie Bush, who has been out since injuring his knee Oct. 19 against Carolina. According to a Fox report, Bush will sit out the game.

It will, however, mark the return of the Saints to the Superdome. They haven't played there since Oct. 12: They had road games at Carolina, Atlanta and Kansas City and were the "home team" in a victory over San Diego in London.

Even without Bush, the Saints have thrived on offense. Through the first 10 games of the season, they led the league with an average of 411.5 yards per game. Drew Brees has thrown for more yards than any quarterback in league history through 10 games.

The Saints' problems have come on the other side of the ball. They have a defense ranked 24th overall and 26th against the pass.

The Packers, coming off a 34-point victory over Chicago, are ranked fourth in scoring, with an average of 27.4 points a game, and 11th in passing. Their pass defense is allowing just 176.3 yards per game, third-best in the NFL heading into the weekend.

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sam.farmer@latimes.com