Saturday, November 21, 2020

New Orleans Saints Week 11 NFL Power Rankings Roundup

Throughout the 2020 NFL season, we will compile a consensus NFL Power Rankings that averages the rankings of all 32 NFL teams.

Here is where the New Orleans Saints rank in terms of average, best and worst:

  • Average ranking: 3.6 (3rd)
  • Best ranking: 3rd (Multiple)
  • Worst ranking: 5th (The Athletic)

Below you will find a Week 11 roundup for the Saints in our consensus 2020 NFL Power Rankings.

The Athletic -- Rank: 5

They're 7-2, have won six in a row and face the Falcons (twice), Broncos and Eagles in their next four games. But all eyes are on the Saints' quarterback position where Drew Brees will miss time and Sean Payton will go with some combination of Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill. Against the 49ers, the game plan was clearly to get the ball out of Winston's hands quickly and give him easy completions. Winston was 6-for-10 for 63 yards, but he had a potential interception dropped and was sacked twice. Winston signed a one-year deal to play in New Orleans. He's got a lot riding on this upcoming stretch.

CBS Sports -- Rank: 3

The Drew Brees injury situation bears watching for the long term. He will be out for a bit, but they can get by with Jameis Winston in the short term.

USA Today -- Rank: 3

What a show of guts by QB Drew Brees to finish the first half Sunday with his myriad injuries and later conduct a press conference with a collapsed lung. Baller.

ESPN -- Rank: 4

What would they take back: Cover Allen Lazard in Week 3

I'm getting specific here since it's hard to argue with much of the Saints' offseason personnel decisions. (They were hoping first-round pick Cesar Ruiz would develop faster at right guard, but that position was still a big need.) So I'll let their defense hit the reset button on a Week 3 loss to Green Bay that could wind up having major playoff seeding implications. The Saints' secondary got off to a slow start this season with some inexplicable coverage busts -- including two deep passes of 72 and 48 yards they gave up to Lazard. They would love a do-over after cleaning up those issues in recent weeks. -- Mike Triplett

NFL.com -- Rank: 3

The Saints got three more Alvin Kamara touchdowns in a 27-13 win over the 49ers on Sunday, but the big concern after the game surrounded Drew Brees, who missed the second half after getting rocked on a clean (but still absurdly penalized) hit by San Francisco defensive end Kentavius Street. On Monday, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported that Brees entered Week 10 with at least one cracked rib, and suffered multiple broken ribs and a lung issue during the game. The Saints hope Brees will avoid IR, but we now take tentative steps into a world where Jameis Winston is at the reins of one of the best teams in football. It's about to get weird.

Previous update: New Orleans Saints Week 10 NFL Power Rankings Roundup

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