NFL Power Rankings: New Orleans Saints back in the top five

After a dominant Week 9 win over the Buccaneers the Saints have successfully climbed their way back into the Top 5 in the NFL Power Rankings.

From the beginning of Week 9, it really wasn’t a contest. The Saints took an early 7-0 lead on their first drive. They scored four more times before halftime, three touchdowns and a field goal, going up 31-0 at half in a slaughter.

They finished the game with a 38-3 win over their NFC South division rivals. This brought them to a 6-2 record surpassing the Buccaneers, who are now 6-3, for the lead in their division. If they keep that lead, they will be guaranteed a top-four spot in the playoffs.

The course of the Saints season has been a complete roller coaster. They started out the season No. 4 on ESPN’s NFL Power Rankings. After their Week 1 win over the Buccaneers, they went up to No. 3 on the list.

They ended up losing Weeks 2 and 3 capping a 1-2 record through three weeks. After that, they dropped from No. 3 to No. 5 all the way down to No. 10. That was rock bottom for the Saints. After that, it was a slow rising back to the top.

By Week 6, they were back up to No. 9, and they stayed there all the way till this week. After the dominant win for a second time over the Buccaneers, it boosted the Saints all the way up to four spots back into the Top 5 for the first time since Week 2.

If the Saints continue to dominate teams and show their strength, they have the possibility to rise even further in the rankings. Currently, they are the No. 2 ranked NFC team behind just the Green Bay Packers in the NFC North.

As of right now, they stand to gain the No. 2 spot which would play the No. 7 Wild Card team. If they win out, there is a good chance they could still surpass the Packers for the only bye team of the conference this season.