Saints have to be taken seriously in NFC

The New Orleans Saints were believed by many to be a mediocre team (again) headed for a mediocre season (again). It appeared the Saints were well on their way to making that come true, with losses to the Minnesota Vikings and New England Patriots in their first two games.

Then, out of nowhere, the Saints figured out how to play defense. Since their first two contests, New Orleans is allowing an average of 16 points per game, leading to a five-game winning streak. That includes a 20-0 shutout of the Miami Dolphins in Week 4 at London, and a 20-12 win on Sunday over the Chicago Bears at the Mercedes Benz Superdome.

In their win over the Bears, the Saints were able to stifle Mitchell Trubisky, holding him to 164 yards on 14-of-32 passing with an interception. The Bears were able to run for 157 yards on 5.1 yards per attempt, but were ultimately allowed only a single touchdown.

Meanwhile, New Orleans racked up 101 yards on the ground while Drew Brees was his terrific self, completing 23-of-28 for 299 yards for an average of 10.7 yards per attempt. Brees didn’t throw a touchdown, but didn’t have to with the play of Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara, who combined for a pair of scores in the victory.

While the Atlanta Falcons are the defending NFC champs, and the Carolina Panthers held that mantle the year prior, it’s the Saints who look like the best in the NFC South. Carolina and Atlanta both won away games on Sunday, putting them at 5-3 and 4-3 respectively. Still, New Orleans has no reason to think its stay in the division’s penthouse is going to be short, especially with a defense that can stop teams and a Hall of Fame quarterback at the controls.

If you have a sense of history and greatness, it would be sublime to see Brees get one more shot at another ring. There is a good chance that before he retires, the former Purdue star will hold the record for passing yardage, bolstered by an astounding five 5,000-yard campaigns. Another Super Bowl title would put Brees into another class historically — at least in the eyes of many experts — joining the ranks of Troy Aikman, Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montana, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Ben Roehtlisberger, Bart Starr, Bob Griese and John Elway as Hall of Fame quarterbacks with multiple titles.

New Orleans has plenty to prove going into November. The defense has to keep playing at this level. Ingram and Kamara have to continue gashing opponents. But right now, the Saints have the look of a contender, something nobody expected only a few months ago.