On Second Thought...Saints Still The Best Four Days Later

From my seat in the upper terrace level of the Superdome, I can see the entire field and then some. 

Sure, the players look a little smaller; and sure, every now and again I have to squint to make out numbers on the jerseys.

But it couldn't have been more obvious—even to those in the nosebleeds and beyond—the beating the Saints dealt the Giants on Sunday has them on top of the NFL ranks.

That was the knee-jerk reaction I had walking back to my car from the Superdome on Sunday. 

After four days of taking in all the sports talk radio, Pardon The Interruption, Monday Morning Quarterback, Jim Rome and Sportscenter, I still can't find any reason why the Saints shouldn't be at the top of the NFL power rankings.

Assuming the Giants "are who we thought they were," the Saints man-handled, humiliated, pummeled, and demoralized one of the best teams in the NFL. 

What was supposed to be a litmus test for the Saints turned out to be a lesson learned for Eli Manning and the Giants.

That lesson: Beware the Saints.

The Giants could never get into their game plan after trailing 21-3 early in the second quarter.

Manning was never comfortable in the pocket, his running game wasn't giving him a whole lot of help, and he didn't respond well to the blitz, turning the ball over twice.

It would have been three turnovers and another pick-6 for Darren Sharper if Jonathan Vilma hadn't been flagged for roughing the passer.

But hey, you can't blame desire.

The Saints weren't short on lesson plans as the Drew Crew schooled the Giants defense so effectively even Manning was taking notes from his sideline. 

Beat up in the secondary as the Giants may have been, the most dominant defensive line in the NFL barely came within spitting distance of Drew Brees.

If the Giants ever do manage to catch Brees, the first thing they should do is thank him.

Brees and Gregg Williams' defense left the G-Men with a game film they'll be studying up until the playoffs, when the two teams are likely to meet again.

No team can get their butts whooped so badly that they can't study themselves and take away some valuable lessons.

The Giants no longer among them, there are three unbeaten teams (besides the Saints) that could make good cases for themselves as the best team in the NFL.

But I have to believe that right at this moment, the Saints are the most complete team from top to bottom. 

Though they haven't lost either, the Colts, Vikings, and Broncos have had to play from behind at least once this season. 

Last second wins against the Dolphins, 49ers, and Bengals, respectively, stand out the most.

By comparison, the Saints are the only team in the entire NFL who has yet to trail in a game.

Wow.

Looking ahead to the remaining schedule, the only real threats to the Saints come from Atlanta twice and the New England Patriots.

The Saints play two of those three games at home, on primetime TV.