New Orleans Saints a Team to Beat in NFL Wild Card 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 17 loss at the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

ESPN - #4 (+2)

Opponent winning percentage: .535; eighth-hardest. The Saints played one of the toughest schedules in the NFL and held their own. Not only did they win the NFC South, but they posted a plus-57 point margin against winning teams, the second-best in the NFL.

CBS - #6 (-2)

The defense didn't look good last week, but they will be a dangerous team in the playoffs. Drew Brees has been there before.

Yahoo - #6 (-1)

The Saints swept the Panthers this season and host Carolina on Sunday.

Bleacher Report - #5 (+/-)

This was a disappointing loss for the Saints, but the Buccaneers match up well with them. The Saints want to be aggressive on defense, and Tampa has the passing attack to take advantage of that. New Orleans matches up a lot better with Carolina, so having the Panthers come to town in the postseason is a blessing.

I still think the Saints are a team to watch in the NFC playoffs. They have playmakers on defense, and they can run the ball hard with both Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram. Of course, we all know what Drew Brees is capable of doing when the game is on his shoulders.

I won't be shocked if the Saints make it to the Super Bowl. The construction of their roster and the mind of coach Sean Payton will allow New Orleans to go on the road and win a game in a place like Philadelphia.

NFL - #5 (+/-)

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Average Power Ranking Composite: #5 (+1)