NFC South Power Rankings Week 2: Saints bumped to second place
The New Orleans Saints managed to hold the Buccaneers to just three points entering the fourth quarter but that's when everything imploded for the good guys. Jameis Winston threw three interceptions to give the Bucs an easy 20-10 victory.
With the loss, not only are the Saints now second in the NFC South when they had a chance to be in sole possession of first place but they lost the tiebreaker to Tampa and that's going to be big if they manage to get back into contention.
NFC South Power Rankings -- Where do New Orleans Saints stand?
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-0)
2. New Orleans Saints (1-1)
3. Atlanta Falcons (0-2)
4. Carolina Panthers (0-2)
While the Falcons and Panthers are both 0-2 on the year so far, I gave the Falcons a slight edge because they've at least been competitive and put up points in both of their games. Atlanta honestly should have beaten the Saints in Week 1 but their defense stumbled in the fourth quarter. It was the opposite story for them in Week 2, as they made a game of it against the Rams late in the matchup but still ultimately lost.
The Falcons have looked bad, yes, but the Panthers have looked a lot worse. They've narrowly lost both of their games but those losses came to the Browns and Giants. Carolina should have won at least one of those games on paper but failed to impress in either one. Baker Mayfield doesn't appear to be the answer in Carolina but he'll have a chance to turn things around against our beloved Saints in Week 3.
It is a little strange that the Saints start their year against three straight divisional foes but hey, it gives them a chance to get some of these teams before they figure out what's ailing them (though the same can be said for these teams when it comes to the Saints). Hopefully, New Orleans can take care of business against Carolina this weekend.
Tampa Bay hasn't looked all that great through two games but they'll still likely win the NFC South. They host the Packers this weekend while the Falcons head to Seattle. Both of those games kick off in the late-afternoon window.
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What will the power rankings look like after Week 3? Will the Panthers move up if they beat the Saints?