Power Rankings: Saints moving up after shutout victory

Here is how the New Orleans Saints stand in the five major power rankings after advancing to 3-2 on the season.

ESPN - 14 (+4)

“Fantasy surprise: TE Juwan Johnson

Johnson seemed like he was on the verge of a breakout fantasy season after finishing 15th in points in ESPN leagues for his position. His rapport with Derek Carr in training camp certainly indicated he could be a big part of the offense but so far, he has only seven receptions for 61 yards and has missed the last two games with an injury. He hasn’t been a “go-to” option for this team with Michael Thomas, Rashid Shaheed, Alvin Kamara and Chris Olave taking the majority of the targets. — Katherine Terrell”

Bleacher Report - 13 (+6)

“After getting waxed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 4, the New Orleans Saints badly needed a “get right” game—a chance to demonstrate they are a legitimate player in the NFC South.

Fortunately, the New England Patriots appear to be one of the most amenable teams in the league to helping opponents turn things around.

Having Kamara back certainly helped—he piled up 97 total yards and a touchdown on 25 touches. And the Saints defense dominated, allowing just 156 yards of offense and forcing three turnovers.

The question now is whether the Saints can put forth such an effort against higher-quality opposition—two of the team’s next three contests are against teams with winning records.”

CBC Sports - 12 (+7)

“They dominated the Patriots with an impressive defensive shutout. That side of the ball has been good all season long.”

NFL.com - 14 (+4)

“Well, that fixed the Saints’ offensive problems, right? OK, so that might be a stretch, but it was good to see them stretch things out a bit early — and for Derek Carr to hold up a week after he didn’t look quite right — against a supposedly quality Patriots defense. They went back to a more conservative approach after a while, but who can blame them? New England had basically given up by that point. When you have a defense capable of blanking (and frankly humiliating) an opponent in its home stadium, you can accept less-than-perfect play on the other side of the ball. This really was a good win, with myriad contributors on both sides.”

USA Today - 15 (+5)

“Great sidebar to Sunday’s 34-0 runaway in New England. TE Foster Moreau, a New Orleans native, scored his first TD with the Saints – and first since beating Hodgkin lymphoma during the offseason. Pretty cool story amid the NFL’s annual “Crucial Catch” campaign for cancer screening.”

Average Ranking: 14

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