Power Rankings: Wide-open Saints just so darned hot

Updated Dec. 12

A few weeks ago I drooled over the way the San Diego Chargers played offense.

Yes, it was a man-crush. Now, I have a new one: I love the way the New Orleans Saints play offense. There is no better play-caller in the NFL than Sean Payton.

Sean Payton has his passing game on record pace and his team on track for the playoffs. (US PRESSWIRE)

Payton is like a great home-run hitter: He's in a groove.

No matter what he does, it turns out right. But what I really like is that Payton's doing it with an aggressive approach.

In a league where playing not to lose rather than to win is a mantra, of sorts, Payton strays from that. And because of that his team is 9-4, his quarterback can break the all-time single-season record for passing yards (that gets extra credit from me), and the Saints are legitimate Super Bowl contenders.

Drew Brees has thrown for 4,033 yards and has a chance to break Dan Marino's single-season record (5,084) for passing yards. Brees has passed for over 300 yards in six of the past seven games, including 384 yards and five touchdowns in the Saints' 42-17 blowout of the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, on the road.

Some coaches go on the road and play a tighter style of football. Not Payton. In their past two road victories, blowouts of the Atlanta Falcons and Cowboys, Brees is 46 of 68 for 733 yards with seven touchdowns and no interceptions.

That's a tribute to Payton the play-caller.

It's also why the Saints are in the No. 4 spot in the CBS SportsLine.com Power Rankings. Nobody could have imagined they'd be that high with three weeks to go.

But nobody could have imagined that Payton would be this up-tempo coach. We've seen good offensive coordinators change when they became the head man, turning away from the aggressive things they believed in.

Not Payton. The Saints have the top-ranked offense in the league, averaging 410.6 yards per game. That's nearly 30 yards better than second-ranked Indianapolis. They are tops in passing yards at 303.5 per game. They're 19th in rushing, which the skeptics will say isn't good enough, but they can run it when they must.

Payton is throwing to score and running to win. That's a formula I've preached for a long, long time.

It's finally nice to see a coach who isn't afraid to live it.

Power Rankings
Current		Team	Previous
	1	Colts · Trends	1
	They didn't look great against the 49ers, but they found a way. That's what good teams do. It has to be good having Bob Sanders back again.
	2	Saints · Trends	2
	It was a little bit of a struggle against the Falcons, but the schedule is favorable the rest of the way, to say the least. Is an undefeated season possible?
	3	Vikings · Trends	4
	They have a real hold on the division after sweeping the Packers. They really are a balanced team and Brett Favre is coming off a big game. There, I said it. Aside from the Steelers game, he is playing well.
	4	Broncos · Trends	3
	After their first loss, here come the champions. The Pittsburgh Steelers will provide another stiff test for the Broncos. They need to throw it better. Period.
	5	Patriots · Trends	5
	They come off the bye with a chance to take a real hold of the division by beating Miami. You know they'll be ready for the Wildcat.
	6	Bengals · Trends	6
	At 5-2 after their bye, they get a rematch with the Ravens this week. They can throw it better now than when they beat them the first time, which should help.
	7	Steelers · Trends	7
	They can show they are back with a road victory at Denver. The bye week gives them a little edge heading into that one, although Denver will be angry coming off its first loss.
	8	Eagles · Trends	8
	We get Eagles-Cowboys this week for first place in the NFC East. That should be fun. The Eagles are rolling after that Oakland disaster two weeks ago.
	9	Cowboys · Trends	11
	Is it time to stop ripping on Tony Romo? He's playing some of his best football. The defense, which was a problem much of the season, is playing better.
	10	Ravens · Trends	14
	They had to beat Denver to save their season, but now they get a big one against the Bengals on the road. To have a real chance to win the division, they need that one.
	11	Cardinals · Trends	9
	Can anybody figure this team out? They play well on the road and stink it up at home. Good thing they're on the road this week.
	12	Giants · Trends	10
	They are an example of how fast things can go bad in the NFL. If that defense doesn't play better soon, they could be playoff-less.
	13	Texans · Trends	16
	The improvement of the defense to go with that passing game has really helped this team. They do have a lot of premium talent on the defensive side of the ball.
	14	Chargers · Trends	17
	They seemed to right things the past two weeks, but now must head east to play a desperate Giants team. That won't be easy.
	15	Falcons · Trends	12
	They played well at New Orleans, especially in the second half, and the schedule gets easier now. They are a good 4-3 team.
	16	Packers · Trends	13
	Boy that offensive line is bad. If they don't improve there, Aaron Rodgers doesn't stand a chance.
	17	Bears · Trends	19
	Nothing like the Cleveland Browns to provide the perfect potion for all that ails a team. Facing Arizona at home this week won't be as easy.
	18	Dolphins · Trends	22
	That wasn't pretty against the Jets, but they found a way. Now they have to go to New England, with a chance to get back into the race. Playing two consecutive road games is tough.
	19	Jets · Trends	15
	There is no way they should have lost to the Dolphins at home, but at 4-4 they have been way too inconsistent. How about some special-teams work this week?
	20	Jaguars · Trends	18
	They will be a .500 team at best. The defense isn't very good, so they will play a lot of high-scoring games. The good news is they have a winnable game against Kansas City this week.
	21	Panthers · Trends	24
	Was that a job saver for coach John Fox and a season saver last week in Arizona? It was a big win, but those two things are still to be decided.
	22	49ers · Trends	20
	Playing close isn't good enough. They have to start winning those kinds of games. It's hard when they're limited on offense.
	23	Bills · Trends	21
	The run defense is really bad and they don't have the offense to make up for it. Did you ever think they would long to get Trent Edwards back so much?
	24	Seahawks · Trends	23
	They've been a major disappointment in a lot of people's minds. But the injuries have crippled this team. It's a tough first year for Jim Mora Jr.
	25	Raiders · Trends	25
	At least they showed up and competed against the Chargers. It's more than they did the previous week. Wonder how Tom Cable's troubles will affect the team?
	26	Chiefs · Trends	26
	They come off their bye with the Larry Johnson saga hanging over their heads. Something they need more of: Better play from Matt Cassel.
	27	Redskins · Trends	27
	Did they fix things during the bye? Is Jim Zorn safe now that he made it through the week off? Can they turn it around? Doubtful.
	28	Rams · Trends	31
	They won. They won. They won. After 17 consecutive losses, they should celebrate. Steven Jackson is having a good year for a bad team.
	29	Titans · Trends	32
	The move to Vince Young paid off. Yeah, as long as Chris Johnson runs for 228, it paid off. They did show more life coming off their bye in winning for the first time.
	30	Lions · Trends	28
	Losing to the Rams drops them down a few spots. They are competing, which is a good sign for this young team.
	31	Browns · Trends	29
	Does this team need a bye or what? Do they really have to play out the season with that offense?
	32	Buccaneers · Trends	30
	The Josh Freeman Era begins, and it's the right thing to do. They have to get him going for the future. Why wait?