2018 NFL Power Rankings: Divisional Playoffs edition

4. New Orleans Saints

12-5 (NFC South champions)

No. 4 Seed in NFC

Last week: Defeated Carolina Panthers, 31-26, in NFC Wild Card Playoffs

This week: at Minnesota Vikings in NFC Divisional Playoffs

It is a proven formula for success. Run the football and play good defense and great things will happen. Add in effective play from your quarterback and the offense in general and you could be hoisting a Lombardi Trophy sooner than later.

Following a 2-0 start, the New Orleans Saints shifted gears and before you could say jambalaya, running backs Mark Ingram and rookie Alvin Kamara were both racking up 1,500-plus yards from scrimmage and Sean Payton’s ground attack was fifth in the NFL. Meanwhile, after allowing at least 420 points in three straight campaigns, surrendered just 326 points this season – 10th-best in the league.

And then there is quarterback Drew Brees. Anyone who hits on 72 percent of his passes for 4,334 yards and nearly three times as many touchdown (23) as interceptions (8) could hardly be considered an afterthought. If not for his performance in the team’s 31-26 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, the Saints’ season may have come to a sudden end. Despite a fourth-quarter interception, he threw for 376 yards and two scores as Payton’s club put 31-plus points on the board against the Panthers for the third time in 2017.

Of course, the Saints’ season began in the Twin Cities and that’s where the club is headed this weekend. The team’s 29-19 Monday night loss to the Vikings in Week 1 saw Dennis Allen’s defensive unit surrender a whopping 470 total yards. And that was with quarterback Sam Bradford at the controls, not Case Keenum. It’s safe to say we will really see how far these Saints have come in four-plus months on Sunday.

Next: No. 3