Saints Will Continue To Have Critics Until They Prove Otherwise

The Saints have been placed towards the bottom of the league in the NFL Power Rankings, and it's on them to change the narrative.

Jan 7, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr (4) looks over the Atlanta Falcons defense during the first half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports / Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

NFL Power Rankings always pique the interest. For the Saints, they aren't really being taken too seriously this season, as evidenced by Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio. His rankings were based on where teams are at currently, not how they will finish in 2024. They're behind the Bucs and Falcons by a good bit, coming in third in the division.

Pro Football Talk's NFC South Power Rankings

Jan 7, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen looks on against the Atlanta Falcons during the first half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports / Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

9. Buccaneers: For some reason, they still aren’t being taken seriously. They should be.

19. Falcons: They’d be even higher if they’d used the eighth overall pick on a player other than Kirk Cousins’s replacement.

24. Saints: It feels like it’s up-or-out this year for both Derek Carr and Dennis Allen.

32. Panthers: Wear a raincoat if you plan to be sitting near the owner’s box this year.

After the draft and free agency, ESPN was also low on the Saints, dropping them from 22nd to 24th in mid-May. Does any of this actually matter? No. Dennis Allen said after the final session of Saints OTAs that he didn't care what the expectations were outside of the building, but sticking with Florio's point about where New Orleans is at right now isn't too hard to debate. Until proven otherwise, the Bucs are on top of the division.

The Saints are three years removed from the postseason, with two of those seasons ending in familiar fashion. New Orleans has been close, but the too little, too late rallies have not been good enough. Meanwhile, Kirk Cousins should help the Falcons, but they have a ton of questions like the Saints.

The Saints do have potential this year, especially going with an offensive overhaul under Klint Kubiak. Derek Carr will be an instrumental piece of the puzzle to help push New Orleans over the edge. Both coaches and players have mentioned that the team just needs one more game to be in that mix, which is true, but they can't afford to drop games like the one against the Packers last season. They're also going to have beat good teams to be taken seriously.

For now, there's cautious optimism for New Orleans this year, but they'll continue to be at the bottom of power rankings for the next several months. If you care about that type of thing, just know that the team doesn't.