NFL Power Rankings Week 4: Saints Start Sliding

by Dave Cariello on Sep 28, 2010 12:37 PM CDT

SB Nation and a few other websites have put out there power rankings following week 3 of the NFL season. As you could imagine, the Saints took a bit of a slide downward after their overtime loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Take a look at how the Saints rank, then share your thoughts.

SB Nation - 3rd

They had to lose at some point so might as well make it early and avoid the undefeated talk. The Saints are still the among the top two offenses in the NFL.

FoxSports - 5th

Something is missing from this team through three games. I can't put my oversized fingers on it, but I don't think the Saints look quite as good as they did last season thus far. Still, they will be competing deep into the playoffs this year.

Walter Football- 3rd

Kicks will miss and quarterbacks will throw picks. It happens. Should Hartley be blamed for the loss? Absolutely. But to say that he should be cut is completely moronic considering what he has done for the team in the recent past. The Saints wouldn't release Drew Brees if he suddenly had a four-interception game, just like they shouldn't release Hartley for botching one stinking game-winner in the regular season.

Pro Football Talk - 7th

By the end of the day Tuesday,Scott Fujita's "fat punk kicker" label for Garrett Hartley may be only 66.6 percent accurate.

Real GM- 20th

These guys claim to be objective because they use their patented Trench Counter. I think they're counter is a little off this week.

Saints Fan Confidence Poll

Last tallied on 09/29.

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Comments

I disagree with Walter Football....

As I commented with another post, the only thing you can blame Hartley for is not WINNING the game. He technically did not lose the game for us. We lost because the offense failed to stop Atlanta’s second overtime drive AFTER the missed field goal. You simply can’t put all the blame on Hartley for losing that game.

Football is, after all, a wonderful way to get rid of your aggressions without going to jail for it. ~Heywood Hale Brown

by jack_casse on Sep 28, 2010 1:33 PM CDT reply actions

ESPN has the Saints at #2

The only thing that I can take solace in about Sunday is that the Saints played some really sloppy ball on offense and defense and still forced the game to OT and even then only lost because of a missed short FG. That said, they need to get it together in the next few weeks while the schedule is soft before things get a lot harder.

by Nabb1 on Sep 28, 2010 1:38 PM CDT reply actions

That's surprising.

Right now, I’m not sure the Saints would be ranked that high in a poll of CSC members.

by Drew-Dat on Sep 28, 2010 3:18 PM CDT up reply actions

Drew think it about right.

by saints-fan-in-miss on Sep 28, 2010 4:47 PM CDT up reply actions

the espn rankings were funny

Sando kept them 1st, Kurharsky and Walker put them 2nd, and our dear friend Clayton of course dropped them to 5th.

by HB-NOLA on Sep 28, 2010 6:39 PM CDT up reply actions

5th is where our dear friend Clayton had them rank prior to the first game.

by Drew-Dat on Sep 29, 2010 1:22 AM CDT up reply actions

Deserved; you don't want to be ranked too high

Power ranking is less meaningful than the QB rating. And that’s useless. So there you go.

jeffduncantp . Uh, no. I'm a journalist. Are you just realizing that? @yelpinwienerdog: are you even a saints fan?

by stujo4 on Sep 28, 2010 2:14 PM CDT reply actions

Sig

Did Duncecant really say that?

Week 4 matchup: Panthers
Week 4 motto: Black pants, burned they must be.

by Jon Banks on Sep 28, 2010 2:27 PM CDT up reply actions

Of course! I don't make things up.

Ok, I make things up. But he really did tweet it.

jeffduncantp . Uh, no. I'm a journalist. Are you just realizing that? @yelpinwienerdog: are you even a saints fan?

by stujo4 on Sep 28, 2010 3:20 PM CDT up reply actions

the only ranking i care about is the nfc south

which now reads 3rd (worse div record than tb or atl)

"As a Saint fan I watch ‘Gone with the Wind’ just to watch Atlanta burn" -Ralph Malbrough

by DrewBreesManCrush on Sep 28, 2010 2:58 PM CDT reply actions

The only ranking I care about is the final rankings.

The rankings after the 3rd game don’t matter much.

We can't win at home. We can't win on the road. I just can't figure out where else to play!
-- Pat Williams

by Fat Punk Kicker on Sep 28, 2010 3:32 PM CDT up reply actions

Bingo!

by saints-fan-in-miss on Sep 28, 2010 4:48 PM CDT up reply actions

Falcons fan here

The game that made the analysts revisit the Saints’ position in the power rankings was a crazy game. One that some would want to remember for a long time, while others would want to forget. And it took quite an inspirational game from all Falcons’ players to pull off an upset. We had a fair share of luck too (don’t get me wrong – the Saints had some luck in this game too, especially with that punt, but the Falcons were the ones to get the last smile of Fate).

Still, I think some of those experts who are counting the Saints off must be nuts. I believe this is still a top-3 team. And I wouldn’t say the Falcons are better than the Saints because they won at the Superdome – the game only indicated there will be a tight race in the NFCS this year. It may actually come down to the ATL-NO game in late December.

We had a bitter loss in the first game at Pitt. Some said we were unlucky and too conservative (kicking a FG on 4th down from within the 5 yard line instead of going for a game winning TD) or the refs favored the hosts (they got away with a couple of holds in that game winning TD run in the OT). But the team took that loss as a wake up call – after all the whole offseason those “experts” were saying we’d be going toe-to-toe with the Saints from game 1.

I am sure the Saints will get back to their form, and we may actually see two teams from the NFCS going deep into the playoffs.

Atlanta Falcons fan in Moscow, Russia

by Gemini-RU on Sep 28, 2010 3:19 PM CDT reply actions

I am sure the Saints will get back to their form, and we may actually see two teams from the NFCS going deep into the playoffs.

That’s what Deke said.

That would be nice, because it would cement my contention that Matt Ryan is slated for a breakout year in 2010,

jeffduncantp . Uh, no. I'm a journalist. Are you just realizing that? @yelpinwienerdog: are you even a saints fan?

by stujo4 on Sep 28, 2010 3:23 PM CDT up reply actions

Didn’t everyone except M-E jump on that train?

Week 4 matchup: Panthers
Week 4 motto: Black pants, burned they must be.

by Jon Banks on Sep 28, 2010 3:40 PM CDT up reply actions

MtnExile
AJG
FriarBob

all balked.

jeffduncantp . Uh, no. I'm a journalist. Are you just realizing that? @yelpinwienerdog: are you even a saints fan?

by stujo4 on Sep 28, 2010 3:55 PM CDT up reply actions

Nice comment

In Breesus' name we play

by Breesus Christ Superstar on Sep 28, 2010 3:44 PM CDT up reply actions

thanks

this is practically the same team that scared everybody last year, but they need to re-establish that balance of pass and run. Brees is amazing, as your nickname indicates (we’ve waited a long time for his first incompletion during the game), and he nearly beat us singlehandedly. Even with those two INTs that were the result of him trying to make that extra effort. And if he did, nobody would care about the time of possession anomaly, but than again, that win would have covered some serious problems the team has.

and the return of the Saints to their SB form would make this Falcons victory even more valuable, make no doubt about that

Atlanta Falcons fan in Moscow, Russia

by Gemini-RU on Sep 28, 2010 3:55 PM CDT up reply actions

Gemini, first props on a big win. Birds sure looked good.

As for the power rankings. I think the Saints held that #1 spot being SB Champions and not losing a game. Also think the Saints less than stellar play in the previous two games, set the stage for a pretty good slide after their play Sun. Taking nothing away from your Birds. They came in to our house and brought it to us. Good luck. Well, until next time. Think you will see a much better Saints team then.

by saints-fan-in-miss on Sep 28, 2010 4:57 PM CDT up reply actions

believe me

it will come down to who wins the rematch in Atlanta, and nobody knows how that goes.
and let me wish both teams to make through the season without any major injuries!

Atlanta Falcons fan in Moscow, Russia

by Gemini-RU on Sep 29, 2010 12:05 PM CDT up reply actions