The New Orleans Saints are entering the 2019 regular season with high expectations. Not just the aspirations held in-house, but from rivals, fans, media, and observers around the league. That’s reflected in their standing among various NFL power rankings before Week 1 kicks off.
Nate Davis of USA Today ranks the Saints third-best in the NFL, good for the top spot in the NFC. The only teams ahead of them are the contenders who reached last year’s AFC championship game: the Kansas City Chiefs (at No. 2) and the New England Patriots (at No. 1), who also have the title of reigning Super Bowl champions.
That hardly means the Saints will have an easy go of it to reach the playoffs again. Six of the top ten teams in Davis’ rankings represent the NFC, and they’ll each be looking for a postseason berth. The Philadelphia Eagles (No. 4), Minnesota Vikings (No. 5), Chicago Bears (No. 7), Atlanta Falcons (No. 8), and Los Angeles Rams (No. 10) would each love to knock off the Saints. The Falcons, New Orleans’ top division-rival squad, would love nothing more than to deny the Saints a third-consecutive NFC South title.
These power rankings have little to no bearing on how the season will unfold. Teams routinely surpass their offseason expectations or come out of nowhere to steal a championship win. But it’s good to see the Saints aren’t being overlooked or undersold after experiencing so much recent success.
