The rest of the NFC South got into some shenanigans while the New Orleans Saints were on their bye week, and it was enough to put the black and gold back on top of the division in the latest NFL power rankings from Mark Schofield over at Touchdown Wire.
While Schofield still has the Saints at the No. 13 spot, the division-rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers have risen to No. 14 (after falling to No. 18 last week) after defeating Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. And the Carolina Panthers, briefly ranked at No. 11 a week ago, dropped to No. 16 after losing to the Chicago Bears. Meanwhile, in the basement: a road win over the Minnesota Vikings helped the Atlanta Falcons jump to No. 29 after lingering around No. 31 in their five-game losing streak.
Here’s some of what Schofield had to say about the Saints, wading into the debate on whether Drew Brees is washed up or not:
“And yet, questions are circling around the veteran passer. They mainly focus on his arm, as observers wonder if he lacks the ability to push the ball downfield and into tight windows. Such observers point to his Intended Air Yards, which right now sits at just 6.1, ahead of only Kyle Allen. Sure, the Saints offense has never been a vertical-based attack, so much of this is scheme, but Brees’ downfield throws have seemed to trail off at the end of them.
Supporters will point to the scheme issue, and will also point to his production on such downfield throws. According to Pro Football Focus data, Brees has an Adjusted Completion Percentage of 55.6% on throws over 20 yards, ranking him ninth in the league. He also has an NFL passer rating of 140.0 on such passes, ranking him third in the league. Hard to argue with those numbers.”
If the Saints can answer that question themselves — and make several critical improvements on defense — they could rapidly rise up the board. Only a few other NFC teams are placed above the Saints right now in Touchdown Wire’s power rankings: the Los Angeles Rams (No. 10), the Chicago Bears (No. 8), the Green Bay Packers (No. 5), and the Seattle Seahawks (No. 2).
