Saints Stay Among NFL’s Best in This Week’s Power Rankings

Here we’ll look at five major NFL news outlets and their weekly Power Rankings to see where the New Orleans Saints stack up week-to-week. Here’s where ESPN, CBS, Yahoo, Bleacher Report and NFL.com rank the Saints after their Week 11 win against the Washington Redskins.

ESPN - #5 (-3)

Triumph: The Saints have won eight straight games on the back of 15 rushing touchdowns in that span. Even if the Saints had failed to come back on Sunday, this season would have been a success. But overcoming a 15-point deficit late in the fourth quarter to beat Washington has turned this year into something special for New Orleans.

CBS - #4 (+1)

They showed that their future Hall of Fame quarterback could still win games with his right arm by rallying the Saints past the Redskins. The defense needs to get back on track this week against the Rams.

Yahoo - #3 (+/-)

You knew that even though the Saints weren’t asking Drew Brees to do everything anymore, when they needed him he would be there. Brees was phenomenal during the Saints’ comeback win. It’s why he’s one of the greatest ever. When the NFC playoffs start, there won’t be a quarterback in that field you’ll trust more than Brees.

Bleacher Report - #3 (+/-)

Here's something to keep in mind with the Saints: During the team's winning streak leading up to Week 11, the defense never faced a top-tier offense. It faced a talented offense against the Redskins, and it showed there's room for improvement.

Regardless, New Orleans is one of the best teams in the game. The Saints are never out of it because Drew Brees is still the quarterback. The Saints can be physical in the run game and beat you up that way, but when they need to lean on Brees, he's more than capable.

New Orleans has now won eight games in a row, and those are results that are difficult to argue with.

NFL - #5 (-1)

Saints go down a notch, even after a win. If you need an explanation, look no further than Sean Payton's postgame news conference; the longtime head coach didn't act like a guy overly impressed with his team's play. That said, for New Orleans to come back from a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit and escape with a 34-31 overtime victory shows precisely why this is a legit Super Bowl contender. On a day the defense suffered through pivotal injuries, the offense was able to put up 34. While we're here, why isn't Alvin Kamara being touted as the top rookie in football? Chalk up another 116 scrimmage yards and a touchdown for the Saints freshman running back.

Average Power Ranking Composite: #4 (+/-)