NFL Power Rankings: Panthers are new No. 1 entering Week 13

The New Orleans Saints went on the road to play the surging Houston Texans and ran into a buzzsaw. The Saints have also struggled away from home this season and dropped to 1-5 away from the Superdome.

Drew Brees wasn’t himself, completing just over half of his passes for 288 yards and an interception. Brees also didn’t throw a touchdown pass in the game, a feat that seems incredibly rare.

And to make matters worse, the Saints were coming off a bye week.

The Texans came hot of the gate, scoring two touchdowns in the first quarter to take a lead. Then the Texans had a big third quarter after the break to tack on another 10 points.

The Atlanta Falcons are 6-5 and in the final Wild Card spot, a win would’ve kept the Saints in the hunt for a playoff spot even though they would’ve simply been 5-6. This game could be looked back at as the point that the Saints hopes of a post-season berth ended.

Next week the Saints host the Carolina Panthers, an 11-0 team that is getting better with every week. It seems unlikely that the Saints would get the win in this game, but if they could it might be the thing to change the momentum around down the stretch.

Next: 24. Miami Dolphins