Saints on the Rise in This Week’s NFL Power Rankings

The New Orleans Saints cruised to a 23-13 victory over their division rivals, the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday to move to 11-4 on the year and clinched a playoff berth for the first time in four years.

Over the past month and a half the Saints have been hovering right around the top five of the NFL Power Rankings as one of the NFL's elite teams and have a legit Super Bowl shot.

Last week the Saints ranked seventh but this week they've jumped one spot up to sixth in the latest ESPN NFL Power Rankings.

The Top Five is as so:

1. New England Patriots (12-3) Steady at 1
2. Pittsburgh Steelers (12-3) Steady at 2
3. Minnesota Vikings (12-3) Up one spot from 4
4. Los Angeles Rams (11-4) Up one spot from 5
5. Philadelphia Eagles (13-2) Down two spots from 3

I'd say the biggest surprise from this list is that the Philadelphia Eagles, who own the league's best record and won on Monday night, fell two spots to fifth. The Pats continue to get breaks to remain as the leagues number one team, despite an awful looking loss to Miami only a couple weeks ago....

For the Saints, their season finishes this coming Sunday in the warm confines of Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay. If they win they'll have clinched the the NFC South division crown. If they don't come out victorious they can still win the division with a Carolina Panthers loss against the Falcons.

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