2019 NFL power rankings, Week 12: Falcons rolling, Texans rolled

Recap: Off last week’s mystifying 17-point home loss to the Atlanta Falcons, Sean Payton’s club look to rebound on the road and were in position to sweep the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the first time since 2014. And although the Saints wound up losing the total yardage battle in the contest, they played turnover-free football. Drew Brees was not sacked in the contest and threw for 228 yards and three scores. Meanwhile, the New Orleans’ defense limited the Bucs to 36 yards on the ground (on 8 carries), sacked Jameis Winston twice and stole four of his passes, with heady safety Marcus Williams returning one of those thefts 55 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Next Week: It’s the third straight NFC South match-up for the reigning division champions as they take on the Carolina Panthers for the first time this season. Including a wild card win two years ago, Payton’s team has prevailed in five of the last seven meetings dating back to 2016 – three of those wins coming at the Superdome.

Playoff hopes: After laying an egg last week at home against the Falcons, the Saints came back with a vengeance and showed why they still lay claim to being the best team in the conference, if not the league. The defense gave up some yards but also brought the heat. And New Orleans now owns a three-game lead in the NFC South.

Recap: Owners of the league’s longest current winning streak at five games, the first-place Ravens hosted another division leader in the Houston Texans. And John Harbaugh’s team remained red hot and made surprisingly easy work of the reigning AFC South champions. Quarterback Lamar Jackson hit on 17 of his 24 throws for 222 yards and four scores and also ran for 86 yards before exiting the game in the fourth quarter. The improving Baltimore defense came up with another interception and totaled seven sacks of Texans’ quarterbacks Deshaun Watson (6) and A.J. McCarron (1). All told, Baltimore rolled up an impressive 263 yards rushing against the Houston defense.

Next Week: It’s an intriguing interconference match-up at the Los Angeles Coliseum as the AFC North leaders head west to battle the Rams. It’s just the seventh meeting between the franchises in a series that dates back to 1996. Baltimore owns a 4-2 lifetime edge in the standings and has won the last three meeting dating back to ’07.

Playoff hopes: The NFL’s hottest team has now won six straight games after splitting their first four contests. And in two of their past three outings, the Ravens have humbled a pair of division leaders in the Patriots and Texans. Baltimore’s defense has stepped up its game as well and Jackson’s overall game has improved on a weekly basis.

Next: Nos. 2 and 1