Power Rankings: Saints, Chargers are worthy leaders

We are seven weeks into the season, and the top two teams in most power polls, including the SportsLine.com Power Rankings, are the New Orleans Saints and San Diego Chargers.

Can that be?

Sorry Marty Schottenheimer, your San Diego team isn't No. 1 yet, but it's Charging.(AP)

Those two teams combined to lose 14 of their final 17 games in 2001, with San Diego losing their last nine and the Saints going 3-5, including dropping their last four.

In addition, they both had tons of offseason turmoil, including a coaching change in San Diego, and neither was considered a division threat, let alone one of the best teams in their respective conferences.

Yet here we are, nearly at the halfway point, and the Saints and Chargers are legitimate Super Bowl contenders and right now have to be considered the best teams in their respective conferences.

Their coaches have done outstanding jobs and are the early favorites for coach of the year; it's a dead heat between Saints coach Jim Haslett and San Diego's Marty Schottenheimer.

In New Orleans, Haslett has taken team turmoil and turned it into an offensive power that didn't punt once against San Francisco.

A somewhat slow team in the past is now a fast, quick group that creates major problems for defenses trying to match up. Hard to imagine this is the same team that lost their final four games in 2001 by an average of 28 points.

After Sunday's victory over the 49ers, Haslett looked out to the media and said, "Nobody in this room thought we'd be 6-1."

Nobody in the locker room did, either.

During training camp, a local New Orleans columnist came to Haslett with some writings on his notebook. He had written down 1-6, his predicted start for the Saints.

Maybe he simply had the numbers reversed.

With a remaining schedule softer than Norman Hand's stomach, the Saints appear to be positioning themselves nicely to get home-field advantage in the playoffs.

The Chargers have a tougher remaining schedule, but Schottenheimer has "Marty ball" working perfectly so far. The Chargers' 27-21 victory over the Raiders at Oakland was vintage Schottenheimer.

They pounded LaDainian Tomlinson into the Oakland line time and time again, with Tomlinson rushing for 159 yards on 39 carries.

That's what the Chargers do. They run it right at you, and they play good defense. And quarterback Drew Brees is good enough to make the throws when needed. The Chargers started 5-2 last year, but wilted in the second half.

They insist this team is different. That team got excited about the fast start, but this one is taking it all in stride.

If they can continue to win big games on the road, they will be there in the end.

The Chargers have some major road tests left -- St. Louis, Miami and Buffalo -- but if they can wade through with some success, they might very well host the AFC Championship in their stadium, then perhaps the Super Bowl at home the next week.

The Saints are winning with a wide-open offense, with the Chargers doing it with a running game and defense. Two distinct styles, but so far two very successful ones.

As strange as it might seem to see these two at the top of the Power Rankings at this stage of the season, it makes us once again understand that anything is possible -- even a Saints-Chargers Super Bowl.

Anybody in any room pick that one?

Didn't think so.

Here are the complete Power Rankings for Oct. 22: