It’s hard to please some people. The New Orleans Saints didn’t go into Week 1 with very high expectations from Touchdown Wire’s Jarrett Bailey, who put the Saints at No. 20 out of the league’s 32 teams going into the season-opener.
Now that the Saints have exited Week 1 with a win over the Tennessee Titans, Bailey ranked them even lower going into Week 2. Here’s why he says they’re the 22nd-best team in the league:
The Saints should still somehow be credited with a loss for their performance Sunday. What an abysmal showcase of football. That offense has a long way to go if they are going anywhere in the NFC South.
Ease off the hyperbole, Bailey. The Saints defense was phenomenal against one of the NFL’s better skills position groups. Their offense moved the ball almost at will against a very good Titans defense. Sure, they’ve obviously got some things to figure out in the red zone and in pass protection, but that will come as new pieces settle in. Derek Carr’s performance was very encouraging and the Saints did a better job supporting left tackle Trevor Penning down the stretch.
How do the Saints rank around the rest of the NFC South? They’re barely ahead of this week’s opponent, the Carolina Panthers (who fell two spots after losing by two touchdowns, down at No. 23) with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers closing in (up to No. 26 after a surprising road win). But Bailey is buying what the Atlanta Falcons are selling, even if they took a step back from No. 17 to 18. We’ll see how things look after Week 2.
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