Getty Gallery: 2/6
No. 1 New Orleans Saints
No. 2 Los Angeles Rams
It was a happy Turkey Day for the Saints and Drew Brees, who once again made winning look a bit too easy. While there have (understandably) been rave reviews about both the Rams and Chiefs to this point, Sean Payton's squad deserves a lot of attention and even more praise. During the 31-17 victory against the rival Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans had control from pretty early on and never looked back.
Brees threw just 22 times but four of them went for touchdowns while the Saints' stifling run defense was on full display once again. Aside from Matt Ryan (16 rushing yards) no player on Atlanta had more than six yards on the ground, and that was Tevin Coleman, who got there on eight attempts.
With the Thanksgiving victory, Saints pass-rusher Cameron Jordan may have summed up the win best, calling the victory their holiday, per USA TODAY.
"I do love the way that we played today," said defensive end Cameron Jordan, who had two sacks. "I do love the four turnovers. I do love the sacks. I do love the pressures. I do love the quarterback hits. For all terms and purposes, we had our Thanksgiving."
Next up for the 10-1 Saints is a matchup with the Dallas Cowboys, who have seemingly hit their stride as well and picked up a big win over the Washington Redskins on Thursday. That game will be played on Thursday Night Football in Week 13.
Rams Hang Tight at No. 2
There was no reason to drop the Rams below this following their wild victory over the Chiefs in primetime this past week. Although Todd Gurley did suffer an ankle injury during the win, it seems the week off came at a perfect time for him. Rams coach Sean McVay detailed the ankle injury after the game but denied using the back as a decoy, as Rich Hammond of the Orange County Register revealed.
"McVay said he wasn’t really using Gurley as a decoy, and that if Gurley was on the field, he was healthy enough to play, but clearly Gurley didn’t look 100 percent. McVay said Gurley was “OK.”" Hammond tweeted.
The Rams are tied with the Saints for the best record in the NFL at 10-1 currently. They have an interesting home stretch which features three of five games away from home. The first comes next Sunday against the Detroit Lions and is followed up by what should be a huge primetime game against the Bears and star defender Khalil Mack.