Power Rankings Roundup: Saints do some shuffling during bye week

The New Orleans Saints were able to enjoy their weekend, as they were on the bye week during Week 6 action. Fresh off of it, the 4-1 Saints have a tough task at hand when they take on the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium as part of one of the late kickoffs on Sunday. Here’s a collective snapshot of the power rankings for Sean Payton’s squad, which has them as a consensus Top 5 team. Do you agree or disagree with it?

ESPN — 4th (Previous Week: 4th)

Playoff chances: 79.5 percent. The Saints have the second-highest chance to make the playoffs in the NFC, trailing only the Rams. The Saints are averaging 36 points per game, which would be the highest single-season average since the 2013 Broncos. However, their defense might hold them back, as opposing teams are putting up a 67.5 Total QBR, which is the second-highest in the NFL.

NFL.com — 4th (Previous Week: 3rd)

The Saints headed into their Week 6 bye at the worst possible time. No team wants a week off when it is playing its best football. Drew Brees was clearly feeling it in Week 5, regularly tossing the football 5 yards ahead of Redskins defensive backs and into the waiting arms of loving New Orleans receivers. They were almost like timing patterns. Oh, there’s a Washington DB, so my guy must be 20 feet ahead of him -- let me just throw the ball there. How about Mark Ingram, who waited four weeks to play, barely broke a sweat in Week 5, and then had a bye? Give him 30 carries in Week 7. New Orleans moves down only due to the Patriots leapfrogging the Chiefs.

SB Nation — 4th (Previous Week: 3rd)

The Patriots and Chiefs are still taking a back seat to the 6-0 Rams. And though Los Angeles has been slowed down in recent weeks (the Rams only beat the Seahawks by two and the Broncos by three), they’re the NFL’s only remaining undefeated team.

Sporting News — 3rd (Previous Week: 3rd)

Drew Brees will get his 500th career touchdown pass out of the way quickly after the bye before the team starts to resemble the running game and defense monster of last season.

Yahoo — 4th (Previous Week: 4th)

The Buccaneers are slumping. The Falcons won Sunday, but they’re 2-4 with a bad defense. The Panthers lost a winnable game at Washington. All of a sudden the Saints are looking like a heavy favorite in the NFC South.

USA Today — 3rd (Previous Week: 3rd)

Drew Brees can reach two more milestones this Sunday — TD pass No. 500 and beating the only team he’s never vanquished ... the Ravens.

CBS Sports — 2nd (Previous Week: 4th)

They have made big strides on defense the past two games. Coming off the bye, they have a tough road game at Baltimore against a good Ravens team.