2. New Orleans Saints

The Saints looked to keep things in order in the NFC South in Week 12, welcoming a Carolina Panthers that lost three of its last four games.

Overall, the Saints didn’t execute all that well, with 12 penalties for over 100 yards. The mistakes, complemented by an above-average game from the Panthers, almost made for another Falcons-type shocker for the top dogs in the division—if Joey Slye doesn’t miss a those costly extra points or have the blocked nick, that might be exactly the case.

But Drew Brees managed to keep things moving when it counted, capitalizing after the heroics of end Marcus Davenport and the Panthers’ field goal woes. Piggybacking on the nearly unstoppable talents of Michale Thomas, the team pulled out the three-point victory.

The offensive line continued to demonstrate a top 10 effort, too. Going up against a determined Gerald McCoy and decent edge pressure from Bruce Irvin and Brian Burns, the O-line managed to create throwing lanes (much-needed downfield views) for Brees, who was hit only four times the entire game. And they maintained the run blocking, leading the way for a 100-yard plus ground attack.

Erik McCoy, Larry Warford, Ryan Ramczyk, Patrick Omameh, Will Clapp, and Terron Armstead: With an offensive line that has dealt with as many injury issues as this Saints unit has, the significant effort on Sunday is truly worthy of the spotlight.