Breezing Along
When is the last time a 6-2 team with a Super Bowl-winning quarterback who's made 13 Pro Bowl appearances has flown relatively under the radar?
The New Orleans Saints weren't getting much buzz through the season's midway point, but after demolishing Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night, they're demanding attention.
Drew Brees picked apart the much-ballyhooed Buccaneers defense, completing 81.3 percent of his passes for 222 yards and four touchdowns.
He didn't throw a pick — though he did lose a fumble — and Brees' 135.2 passer rating was his high-water mark for the season.
Even though the Bucs are just a half-game behind the Saints in the NFC South, Sunday's win all but locked up the division in Nick Wright's eyes.
The win gave New Orleans a regular-season sweep against the Buccaneers, leaving Brady & Co. with a steep mountain to climb.
Brady's offseason arrival in Tampa Bay, along with other high-profile additions such as Leonard Fournette and Antonio Brown, grabbed a lot of headlines.
On the other hand, the Saints quietly went about their business and kept their core of Brees, Alvin Kamara, Michael Thomas and a host of role players together.
NFL Network's Nate Burleson pointed out that the Saints looked at the Buccaneers game as an opportunity to make a statement.
"We keep talking about all these additions to all these new squads. And all along, Sean Payton, this offense for the Saints, they have guys that are in this system that are their guys. There's certain teams that can walk on the field and they are just good because of the talent that they have every single day at practice."
ESPN's Ryan Clark took it a step further, projecting New Orleans' performance against Tampa Bay all the way to a potential Super Bowl triumph.
"If the New Orleans Saints play this way, if this team that shows up every week, you can plan a parade in the greatest place to throw a parade in America, and that's New Orleans. ... Because if this team plays like this, the New Orleans Saints get another Super Bowl."
The oddsmakers at FOX Bet have New Orleans as the favorites out of the NFC following Week 9, coming in at +700 to win the championship. Coincidentally, the Bucs are the next in line at +900.
There's still a long way to go before someone lifts the Lombardi trophy. Why not the Saints?