NFL Power Rankings: Top 10 After Week Two

Sep 15, 2013; Tampa, FL, USA; New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham (80) reacts during the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Foldy-USA TODAY Sports

4. New Orleans Saints:

It wasn’t very pretty, but the New Orleans Saints rise to 2-0, as they continue their revenge tour. Drew Brees had his struggles against the Buccaneers solid secondary, throwing to picks to go with a touchdown and 322 yards. The Saints survived an 81 yard interception return for a touchdown, for the most part thanks to kicker Garrett Hartley, who knocked in three of four field goals, including the game winner as time expired. This was a pretty encouraging game for the defense, even if it came against the inept Josh Freeman, who has plummeted downhill as fast as any quarterback ever has. Here’s the problem that I see with the Saints: They may have the worst running game in the NFL. They managed only 75 yards on 20 attempts, which included getting stuffed no the goaline multiple times at the end of the first half, which would’ve put the Saints up 17-7. Mark Ingram might be one of the worst first round picks in very recent memory, and serves as a cautionary tale to drafting running backs in the first round. Sometimes you hit it big late with guys like Doug Martin, but somethimes you get a Mark Ingram, who only had 20 yards on eight attempts. They will need to fix this as the season progresses, because if they do manage to return to the playoffs, teams won’t be letting Drew Brees sit back and pick them apart, and the run game will become a crucial cog in a potential Super Bowl run.