Saints win big, NFL power rankings, playoff picture and more

The New Orleans Saints took the Los Angeles Rams to the limit and beyond on Sunday, proving they belong among the elite.

Mercury Morris and the rest of the 1972 Miami Dolphins can pop their champagne.

On Sunday afternoon at the Superdome, a raucous crowd of 73,086 screamed in adoration as their New Orleans Saints took down the previously unbeaten Los Angeles Rams, 45-35. It was a game of runs, with the Saints showcasing a strong finishing kick, scoring the final 10 points of the night.

For New Orleans, the win was a signature victory. It punctuates a perfect three-week stretch that began with wins at Baltimore and Minnesota, and continued with a decisive triumph over a team that was a 2.5-point favorite in the Saints’ building. Now, at 7-1, New Orleans controls the NFC playoff picture, trailing the Rams by a half-game but owning the all-important tiebreaker.

In a contest that saw 970 offensive yards and 54 combined first downs, it was the Saints who landed the most haymakers. Michael Thomas had his way all afternoon with beleaguered cornerback Marcus Peters, who was the primary roastee en route to 12 catches, 211 yards and a game-clinching 72-yard touchdown.

In the trenches, the Saints moved the Rams’ wealthy front at will, rushing for 141 yards on 4.1 yards per carry. Alvin Kamara led the effort with 82 yards and a pair of scores on the ground, with New Orleans consistently avoiding the tough middle of Ndamukong Suh and Aaron Donald, and then getting to the soft underbelly of Los Angeles’ second level.

And if there is anything to take away from the Rams’ performance, it’s the defense. Los Angeles continues to utilize an absurd array of weapons ranging from Todd Gurley and Cooper Kupp to Brandin Cooks and Robert Woods, but the other side of the ball has major issues.

When the Rams aren’t getting pressure from Donald, they are susceptible to big plays and long, sustained drives. Los Angeles rarely pressured Brees and never sacked him, leading to a 346-yard, four-touchdown showing. In the coming weeks, the Rams will continuously be tested by top-tier quarterbacks including Patrick Mahomes and Carson Wentz, a pair with the capability to hand the Rams additional defeats if the back seven doesn’t tighten up.

Still, this was about the Saints. New Orleans is a relatively small market with an underrated group of stars, a combination that lends itself to being overlooked in favor of flashy teams from larger cities. After winning a shootout with the Rams, the Saints have unmistakably, undeniably forced themselves to the forefront of the title conversation.

The result should have the rest of the NFC terrified considering the following. Brees has played five playoff games at the Superdome, and he’s thrown 12 touchdowns against one interception. He’s also 5-0 in those affairs.

The Rams are great, but so are the Saints, and now they have the leg up in this race to stay home.

Power rankings

Top 10 teams that need a quarterback upgrade in 2019

1. Jacksonville Jaguars
2. New York Giants
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
4. Oakland Raiders
5. Denver Broncos
6. Miami Dolphins
7. Tennessee Titans
8. Cincinnati Bengals
9. Dallas Cowboys
10. Buffalo Bills

Quotable

"“Oakland coaches didn’t believe quarterback JaMarcus Russell was studying the film that he was given to look at. They tested him by sending him blank tapes home to watch. The next day he said he watched blitz packages.”"

– Former NFL offensive lineman David Diehl on JaMarcus Russell’s failed career

Few NFL careers have been more disappointing than JaMarcus Russell’s. Drafted first-overall, Russell lasted three seasons, totaling 18 touchdowns and 23 interceptions.

On Sunday, former Giants offensive lineman David Diehl went on WFAN radio in New York, stating the former LSU star didn’t bother to review film in a story for the ages, one confirmed by FanSided.

These days, Russell is coaching quarterbacks at Lillie B. Williamson High School in Alabama, hoping to groom another NFL talent.

Podcast

Matt Verderame and Josh Hill break down all the NFL weekend every Sunday night on a new episode of Stacking The Box. Make sure to download the podcast on iTunes and reach the guys via tweet or email!

Random stat

Nick Mullens launched three touchdowns in his debut for the San Francisco 49ers, torching the Raiders on Thursday night. Joe Montana and Steve Young combined for one touchdown in their first starts for San Francisco.

Info learned this week

1. Patriots handle Packers on Sunday night

The Green Bay Packers have Aaron Rodgers, and yet they’re staring at 3-4-1 and a real likelihood of missing the postseason.

Green Bay never seemed in rhythm during its 31-17 loss in New England, consistently allowing pressure while receivers couldn’t break open for Rodgers. The result was a jagged-looked offense that struggled to score against a defense that can be had, putting Rodgers and Co. in third place of the winnable NFC North.

The Patriots had no such trouble, with Tom Brady throwing for 294 yards and a touchdown in the win. New England moves to 7-2 and is well on its way to another division title as it fights for home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.

The biggest difference in this game? The coaching. Mike McCarthy often left heads being scratched, running low-percentage plays in the red zone along with a relative few designed shot plays for Rodgers. As for Belichick, the Patriots ran multiple trick plays while rotating running backs and using Josh Gordon more with the absence of Rob Gronkowski.

As usual, Belichick’s methods worked to perfection, while cheeseheads scream for change in Green Bay.

2. Seahawks game management leaves plenty to be desired

The Los Angeles Chargers beat the Seattle Seahawks, 25-17, due in no small part to the home team failing to manage the clock late.

Seattle was trailing 25-10 when it started at its own 46-yard line with 6:38 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Seahawks then began a laborious 14-play march to the end zone, chewing up 4:54 off the clock. The main culprits were Russell Wilson and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, who showed a lack of understanding on the most basic of hurry-up tenets.

On the drive, Seattle had an amazing eight consecutive plays where it took more than 20 seconds to snap the ball.

Once the Seahawks scored, they pooched-kicked, giving the ball to Los Angeles on its own 47-yard line. After forcing a three-and-out, Seattle drove 72 yards, only to fall six yards and a dropped touchdown pass shy of a two-point conversion attempt. Had the Seahawks simply kicked the ball deep, they would have likely gained 10-20 yards in field position, giving them more shots at the end zone.

The Chargers deserved to win, but boy, did the Seahawks deserve to lose.

3. Steelers handle Ravens to put Harbaugh on hot seat

Prior to Sunday’s action, reports began to surface that should the Baltimore Ravens lose on Sunday to the Pittsburgh Steelers, head coach John Harbaugh would be facing the potential of unemployment. Now, Harbaugh must be sweating, especially since owner Steve Bisciotti publicly stated he considered firing Harbaugh following last season.

The Ravens were beaten 23-16 at home by Pittsburgh, in a game not as close as the score indicates. Baltimore didn’t get near enough offense, with Joe Flacco averaging a measly 5.6 yards per attempt, and the ground game churning out 61 yards on 3.8 yards per attempt.

As for the Steelers, they improve to 5-2-1 before a Thursday night date with the Carolina Panthers at Heinz Field.

With the loss, Baltimore enters its bye week at 4-5, a game and a half behind the idle Bengals for second place in the AFC North. The question now becomes whether Harbaugh will be the coach when the Ravens return to action in two weeks for a home tilt against Cincinnati.

4. Falcons shake up NFC playoff picture with win

The Atlanta Falcons are not dead yet. Neither are the Philadelphia Eagles.

Atlanta throttled the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field, winning 38-14 to run its record to 4-4 coming off the bye week. While the Falcons have a significant hill to climb for a playoff berth, they are now firmly alive as the schedule turns to the Browns and Cowboys over the next two weeks.

Conversely, the Redskins gave back a half-game to the Eagles, who watched gleefully from their homes as Washington was blown out. Philadelphia is 4-4 but getting an easier portion of its docket with the Redskins, Giants and Cowboys coming to Lincoln Financial Field over the next month.

5. Bears call unnecessary blitz on Bills, Peterman

There are unwritten rules in the NFL. One of them? Don’t blitz when the game is effectively over.

Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio brought a blitz against the Bills’ Nathan Peterman on fourth and long with two minutes remaining of a 41-9 blowout. The result? Peterman was rocked by Roy Robertson-Harris, giving Chicago the ball for a few kneel downs.

There’s nothing in the rule book stopping Fangio from bringing a blitz in that spot, but from a veteran coordinator, it’s a surprising move. Peterman is getting boxed around, the Bills are toast and the Bears are going to 5-3. Why finish the game on such a sour note?

With the win, Chicago stays a half-game ahead of the Minnesota Vikings, who easily dispatched the Golden Tate-less Detroit Lions, 24-9.

History lesson

The first Monday Night Football game ever played was between the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns in 1970 at old Cleveland Municipal Stadium. The Browns won the game, making many NFL diehards smile with Joe Namath going down in defeat.

Parting shot

The Kansas City Chiefs rolled to another easy victory, improving to 8-1 … but they aren’t the story of their own afternoon. The headliner is Gregg Williams in Cleveland, with the 60-year-old getting to helm the franchise with an attached interim tag.

Williams had things looking different in front of the Dawg Pound, with the offense humming and the chances being taken. The results were mixed, with Williams going for three two-point conversions despite little need to do so, and failing every time.

Maybe Williams, a man who believes he’s a certified genius, foresaw all the extra points being missed on Sunday — there were four of them, including Caleb Sturgis becoming the first kicker since 1979 to miss a field goal and PAT in three straight games.

However, there were also gains. Offensive coordinator Todd Kitchens deserves plenty of credit, giving Baker Mayfield some easier throws while allowing Nick Chubb to work in the run game. Sprinkle in some Duke Johnson, and the Browns were able to score three touchdowns in their most effective performance in some time.

Yes, it was a loss. Yes, Williams took unnecessary risks. Still, the Browns were at least entertaining for much of the game, something they haven’t been for weeks.