Getty Gallery: 4/6
No. 5 New Orleans Saints
No. 6 New England Patriots
The New Orleans Saints have a chance to make a statement on Monday Night Football, and it'd be close to pushing them up higher, but the slight edge still goes to the Jaguars. Regardless, the Saints have moved into the top five thanks to a few losses ahead of them from some talented teams.
One key reason why I remain high on the Saints is the fact that they've at least flashed some improvements on defense. Allowing 48 points to the Buccaneers in Week 1 and 37 (in a win) during Week 3 against the Falcons isn't good. But New Orleans wasn't expected to have a top-tier defense, so showing glimpses of potentially turning the corner is a starting point.
The defensive unit will continue to improve as the season rolls on, and by the time the playoffs get here, New Orleans has the potential to be one of the most well-rounded NFL teams. But beyond what we've seen to this point, it's one name I have circled this week and for the remainder of the year that jumps out.
Mark Ingram is back in action after serving his four-game suspension and will be the perfect piece next to Alvin Kamara once again. With the second member of the Saints' dynamic duo back, this team just became even more dangerous offensively.
Patriots' Offense Officially Back?
The Patriots are holding down the top spot in the AFC East again thanks to a victory over the Indianapolis Colts and a loss by the Miami Dolphins. Very few fans are concerned about whether or not New England will be at the top of the division when the year wraps, but things were getting concerning offensively.
Thankfully, we saw a bit of the Patriots of old on Thursday Night Football this week. While the Colts don't have the best defense in the league by a long shot, the Pats reeled off 438 yards of offense and Brady went off for 341 yards and three scores in the 38-24 victory.
This can't be fully attributed to one player, but the return of Julian Edelman from his four-game suspension was big. Brady's go-to target and safety blanket hauled in seven passes for 57 yards, but his presence alone gave the likes of Rob Gronkowski and James White additional room to work.
Brady's top wideout was desperately missed, and if the offense continues humming along, they'll shoot up the power rankings in coming weeks.