New Orleans Saints come in at 22nd in preseason power rankings

NFL.com’s Elliot Harrison handed out his preseason power rankings across all 32 teams on Wednesday, which has the New Orleans Saints coming in at 22nd. While fans may wildly disagree with the ranking, it does seem about right. Here’s what Harrison had to say on Sean Payton’s squad:

The Saints will be better -- as long as they don't lose another offensive lineman (or D-lineman, for that matter), in which case New Orleans will go 7-9 again. The good news here is that there is no way the defense is allowing 28 points per game again. If the Saints can even play almost-respectably on that side of the ball, they will compete for a wild-card spot. You know, like maybe if they allow just 25 points per game so that Drew Brees only has to throw for four touchdowns every Sunday instead of five.

The biggest scare the Saints face at this moment is the absence of rookie offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk, who has been absent from the team’s last couple of practices. As customary with Payton, he offered no updates on his status.

Naturally, the Saints were the lowest rated team in the NFC South. The Falcons came in ranked at No. 2, Buccaneers at No. 10, and Panthers at No. 19. Of course, it’s the preseason, so place whatever stock you may have into that.