After obliterating the NFL record books this year, the New Orleans Saints’ offense is now taking over the Pro Bowl too. For the first time in franchise history, five offensive players were invited to the annual all-star game, including first-time selections tight end Jimmy Graham and offensive tackle Jermon Bushrod.

They joined quarterback Drew Brees and guards Carl Nicks and Jahri Evans, thanks to a combination of votes by fans, players and coaches. Graham, Evans and Nicks are starters. No defensive players or special teamers made the team.

This is the third straight year the Saints have had at least five Pro Bowlers, though they’re all hoping to skip the game to play in the Super Bowl instead, like they did two years ago. This year’s game will be played in Honolulu on Sunday, Jan. 29, one week before Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis.

It’s no surprise that the Saints landed five offensive players in the game – including Brees, who was selected for the fifth time in the last six years. Brees broke Dan Marino’s NFL record for the most passing yards in a single season on Monday night, reaching 5,087 yards with one game to spare. And the entire offense is on pace to break the 2000 St. Louis Rams’ NFL record of 7,075 yards in a season, among other marks.

Graham also has a shot at NFL history. He needs 68 yards in Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Carolina Panthers to break Kellen Winslow’s 31-year-old NFL record of 1,290 receiving yards by a tight end. However, Graham also needs to pass up New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, who is six yards ahead of him right now during a league-wide tight end revolution.

In just his second NFL season, Graham has put together one of the most prolific seasons by a tight end in NFL history, with 91 catches for 1,213 yards and 10 touchdowns.

“Being selected to represent the NFC team in the Pro Bowl is a tremendous honor,” Graham said in a statement released by the team. “If you look around the NFC, you see a ton of amazing and talented players at tight end and to be thought of in that company by my peers, the head coaches and the fans who follow the NFL is something I take seriously. I think it goes without saying that there are many people to thank–starting with my position coach, Terry Malone, our offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael and Coach (Sean) Payton. None of this would be possible without working with guys like Drew Brees, our running backs and receivers and the guys in the tight ends room. David Thomas has been a great mentor, as was Jeremy Shockey, and I have learned a lot from each guy who has worked with me over the past two seasons. My focus right now isn’t on going to Hawaii, it’s on the Carolina Panthers and getting ready for the playoffs, but I think any guy who gets named to the Pro Bowl realizes that it’s a heck of compliment and I am grateful and humbled by it.”

Bushrod’s selection was a breakthrough moment for the fifth-year pro and third-year starter. The recognition is certainly due after he’s flown mostly under the radar in his young career. He has only allowed three sacks this season while protecting Brees’ blind side.

Evans and Nicks are widely considered the NFL’s best guard tandem, thanks to the way they create a secure pocket for Brees to step into, as well as the way the block for run plays and screen passes. This is the third straight Pro Bowl selection for Evans and the second straight for Nicks.

The list of Pro Bowl alternates was not immediately released, though it’s likely the Saints could earn more invites down the road when replacement players are needed.

Recapping the New Orleans Saints’ 45-16 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Saints clinched the NFC South title and remain in contention for the No. 2 seed in the playoff race.

DID YOU SEE?

MARQUES COLSTON

Once again, when the NFL’s Pro Bowl rosters are announced today, the Saints’ sure-handed receiver will be left out.

He’ll probably finish as a distant alternate behind players with flashier statistics from offenses that don’t spread the ball around as much as the Saints do, but it’s quite possible Colston is the best player in the league who has never been invited to the Pro Bowl. In another offense, he might catch 90-plus passes with double-digit touchdowns.

Colston surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for the fifth time in his six-year career with another typical performance in Monday night’s 45-16 victory over the visiting Atlanta Falcons — seven catches, 81 yards and a touchdown. He especially was clutch early, catching four passes for third-down conversions in the first half, including an 8-yard touchdown in the second quarter.

“That’s my role,” Colston said in his usual humble fashion. “I think everyone in the receiving corps has their role, so I just try to play it to the best of my ability.”

JIMMY GRAHAM

Graham, on the other hand, will undoubtedly earn an invite to the Pro Bowl, which will make him the Saints’ first skill-position player to do so since receiver Joe Horn in 2004.

Graham had a pedestrian game by his standards Monday night, catching four passes for 42 yards. But his 9-yard touchdown late in the second quarter was one of the best of his young career. He leaped high over cornerback Brent Grimes to make the grab, showing his old power-forward form from his basketball days at the University of Miami. That was Graham’s 10th touchdown catch of the season, which set a franchise record for tight ends. He has a chance to set a NFL record against the visiting Carolina Panthers on Sunday. He’s 67 yards behind Kellen Winslow, who set the NFL record for tight ends in 1980 with 1,290 receiving yards. However, New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is 6 yards ahead of Graham and could also break that record.

After the Falcons game, Graham gave praise to quarterback Drew Brees, insisting that he never wants to play for another quarterback.

“He only makes me look better,” Graham said.

HOW THE GAME WAS WON

The Saints’ offense was in fine form, converting its first nine third-down attempts en route to a 28-10 lead in the third quarter.

But once again, the Saints’ defense came up equally big.

After allowing Atlanta to score 10 points on its first two drives, the Saints’ defense went into shut-down mode. They held the Falcons scoreless on their next four drives, and then forced them to settle for field goals on the next two drives. After New Orleans’ offense then stalled, the defense came up with the biggest play yet — a forced fumble by linebacker Scott Shanle that was returned 30 yards for a touchdown by safety Malcolm Jenkins in the fourth quarter.

Jenkins had a great effort, coming up with two huge hits earlier in the game that led to punts.

Also big for the Saints was second-year defensive end Junior Galette, who made a rare start and came up with two hits against quarterback Matt Ryan that led to drive-killing incompletions and a third that forced a holding call.

LOOKING AHEAD

REMATCH IN TWO WEEKS?

The Saints finally put together a convincing victory against their rivals, snapping a streak of four games in this series that were decided by three points.

And for their reward? They’ll probably face the Falcons again in less than two weeks at Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

The Saints (12-3) are the third seed in the NFC, and the Falcons (9-6) are the sixth seed, which would set up a first-round playoff rematch. New Orleans can move up if it defeats the Panthers and the San Francisco 49ers lose at St. Louis. The Falcons can move up if they win and the Detroit Lions lose at Green Bay (questionable since the Packers might rest their starters).

If the rematch happens, it won’t be a “gimme” for the Saints. The Falcons are a bona-fide playoff team, but please spare me the argument that it’s “tough to beat the same team three times.” That’s bogus, based on historical data and common sense. It would be even tougher for the Falcons to come to the Superdome and beat a Saints team that has proven to be the better team twice.

DILEMMA FOR PAYTON?

The Saints are alive for the No. 2 seed, but they could consider resting their starters against Carolina.

Last season, Coach Sean Payton admitted that his biggest regret was playing his starters in Week 17 when New Orleans had a slim chance of earning the No. 1 seed. As a result, key players Graham, Jenkins and Chris Ivory all got hurt and couldn’t play in the playoffs.

The Saints now are in the same boat, with the 49ers unlikely to lose at St. Louis, though the Saints did Oct. 30.

Further complicating matters, if Brees doesn’t play, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady could pass him up for the all-time single-season passing record.

The Saints should and will try to win — at least until the scoreboard shows the 49ers comfortably ahead.

On the night after Christmas, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees broke an NFL record that had stood for nearly three decades, and New Orleans beat its archrival Atlanta 45-16 to clinch the fifth division crown in franchise history. The victory keeps the Saints (12-3) in the hunt for the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs, and its convincing nature offered further evidence no team in football is more explosive than New Orleans.

The Saints, undefeated at home this season, have now won seven in a row.

All of those heartwarming holiday milestones the team reached paled, however, to Brees breaking Dan Marino’s record of 5,084 passing yards in a season. Brees threw for 307 yards in the game, but it was a 9-yard scoring pass to running back Darren Sproles with 2:51 remaining, and the Saints already holding a commanding lead, that gave him 5,087 for the season.

Brees thrust a fist into the air exultantly and then was mobbed by teammates led by guard Carl Nicks. Even referee Jeff Triplette came over and shook Brees’ hand. The performance also left Brees as the only player in NFL history to throw for more than 5,000 yards in a season twice.

“It was a big win, a special night for us with all of it kind of culminating in one game,” Coach Sean Payton said.

Brees’ record overshadowed a more sustained assault the Saints are putting on the NFL’s offensive record book, in an outing that left the already playoff-bound Falcons (9-6) completely outclassed by the divisional champ. For example, Brees also extended his streak of consecutive games throwing a touchdown pass to 42 as he chases a mark even older than Marino’s — Johnny Unitas’ 47. Similarly, the Saints amassed 463 yards, leaving them with 6,857 yards for the season and 219 short of the all-time record set by the St. Louis Rams’ “Greatest Show on Turf.”

“There’s a lot still to be written, and we look forward to that,” Payton said.

The Saints now host the Carolina Panthers on New Year’s Day in a game that holds significance only if the San Francisco 49ers lose at St. Louis on the same day. In that case, a Saints’ victory would give them the No. 2 seed and a bye in the playoffs before hosting a home game.

From the outset Monday night, a setting in which the Saints traditionally play superb football, it was clear New Orleans was a team on a mission.

While opening a 21-10 halftime lead, the Saints converted eight of eight third-down opportunities and scored touchdowns on three of their four trips inside the Falcons’ 20-yard line. Running back Pierre Thomas began what would be the most points scored against Atlanta since 2004 with a 4-yard scoring run, and Atlanta sandwiched a field goal and touchdown around that to hold a 10-7 lead.

However, Brees then marched the Saints 81 yards in 10 plays, the last of them an 8-yard scoring toss to wide receiver Marques Colston, and though 70,086 in attendance didnt yet know it, the rout was on.

“It was a huge deal,” Colston said of Brees’ record and the win. “To be able to do it against the Falcons and for the division and on Monday night, all those things just make it more special. It was a huge win, and to be able to achieve that is obviously a great thing for us. But we’ve got higher places to go.”

With just 24 seconds left in the first half, Jimmy Graham collared a 9-yard touchdown pass from Brees, a catch that made Graham the first Saints tight end to have 10 touchdown catches in a season.

In the second half, Brees added a 24-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Robert Meachem and then the record-breaker to Sproles, giving Brees four scoring strikes in the game.

Brees said that, after the Meachem score, he overheard a voice on the sideline saying, “you’re really close,” and it struck him as an improper vibe.

“Like jinxing a no-hitter,” Brees said. “I mean, we were rolling at that point. Like a pitcher — don’t talk to him, leave him alone.”

Yet, from a purely statistical standpoint, it wasn’t his finest effort. Brees also threw two interceptions, one of them a bizarre pass to the end zone that Falcons safety William Moore batted high in the air and back toward the goal line, where it was caught by cornerback Dominique Franks.

The first of those picks ended a streak of 233 passes by Brees without an interception, the longest such streak of his career, and the second helped hold his quarterback rating for the game to 96.8. But all of that could not blemish the uncontestable fact Brees was commanding one of the best offenses football has ever seen.

Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, who completed 34 of 52 passes for 373 yards, managed to move the ball at times against a Saints defense that appeared to play with more and more emotion as New Orleans’ lead widened and Brees closed on Marino’s mark. Despite the Falcons best efforts, they managed two field goals by Matt Bryant in the second half — the first a 51-yarder that made the score 28-13 and the second a meaningless 30-yarder that finished Atlanta’s scoring.

The Saints’ defensive spirit burst into flower after Bryant made that second field goal. After the Saints, playing conservatively with the big lead, went three-and-out, linebacker Scott Shanle stripped Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones of the ball. New Orleans safety Malcolm Jenkins scooped up the bouncing ball and raced 30 yards untouched for a touchdown that made the score 38-16.

That score also provided Payton the cushion he needed to give the green light to Brees push for the yardage record in the closing minutes. With the game and the divisional crown in hand, the team cast its steely gaze at Marino’s venerable achievement when they took over on downs at the Atlanta 33 with 5:08 left.

Brees insisted he didn’t know the exact number he needed at that point. Leading up to the game Brees said he strove to compartmentalize the record and the game itself, and that mindset carried over into the fourth quarter.

On a third-and-9, Brees went to Colston on the left side for 12 yards, then hit Devery Henderson for 11 more. After a bullet to Henderson on the next snap went incomplete, Brees and Sproles hooked up for the memorable touchdown.

“That’s when I knew I had done it,” Brees said. “Just an amazing feeling.”

Nicks said the pretzel he put his quarterback in when he “bum- rushed” him after the record was set was a labor of love.

“If Hollywood were to make a movie I don’t know if Tom Cruise could play him,” Nicks said. “This guy is out of this world. Probably one of the best guys I know, period. If I could put him on my shoulders and parade him around the whole stadium I would have done that.”

Afterward, even the media broke into applause when Brees entered the postgame interview room.

“Not as tough a crowd as I thought,” Brees joked, before immediately turning to the rewards the team had reaped. “It feels great to be division champs. It feels great to have done what we just did, especially on Monday night before a national audience.”

But he did permit himself a personal note.

“I haven’t had a whole lot of time for reflection,” he said. “For now, I just feel like there’s still so much to be done. I do feel life his short and you have to enjoy these things. I’m never going to take it for granted.”

James Varney can be reached at jvarney@timespicayune.com or 504.717.1156.

WEEK 17 FLEX SCHEDULING UPDATE:

Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings remains at noon on Fox.

New Orleans Saints vs Carolina Panthers scenarios:

The Week 17 Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings game on Sunday, January 1 will be played at 1:00 PM ET on FOX, the NFL announced today. Following are the game time possibilities for the Week 17 Carolina Panthers-New Orleans Saints game to be determined based on tonight’s Atlanta-New Orleans game (ESPN, 7:30 p.m.):

If Saints win or tie:

Carolina at New Orleans will be played at Noon on FOX.

If Falcons win:

Carolina at New Orleans will be played at 3:15 p.m. on FOX.

Following is the Week 17 NFL schedule (asterisk and bold/italics represents changed game time, **denotes game time pending outcome of Monday night game):

SUNDAY, JANUARY 1 (WEEK 17)

The NFL utilizes “flexible scheduling” on Sundays in Weeks 10-15 and 17 to ensure quality matchups in all NFL Sunday time slots.

The New Orleans Saints have already secured a spot in the playoffs, but they
still have plenty to play for in the final two weeks of the regular season.

Two games behind the Saints in the NFC South, the Atlanta Falcons are primed
to join them in the postseason.

Needing a win to clinch their second division title in three years, the
Saints look to continue their recent success against the Falcons on Monday night
at the Superdome.

Riding a season-high six-game winning streak, New Orleans (11-3) is
postseason-bound for a third consecutive year. Hoping to earn a first-round
playoff bye, the Saints can wrap up the South title with a third straight win
over second-place Atlanta (9-5).

“The sky’s the limit and that’s where we’re trying to get to,” New Orleans
safety Roman Harper said. “Our goal is nothing less than a victory in the Super
Bowl, and right now we just trying to stay focused and take it one step at a
time.”

The Falcons, meanwhile, simply need to win either of their final two games
to return to the playoffs. If Atlanta wins both contests and the Saints drop two
straight, the Falcons would win their second consecutive South title by virtue
of a better record within the division.

Atlanta concludes the regular season at home versus Tampa Bay while New
Orleans hosts Carolina, both on New Year’s Day.

“We control what we can control,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said. “It’s
obvious our guys are familiar with the scenarios we are in. I know our guys are
aware of it. We’re not going to change our preparation, how we prepare. We try
to be as steady as we can and just continue to move forward like we have all
season.”

Though the Falcons have had more than enough time to prepare for their
division rival since posting a 41-14 home win over Jacksonville on Dec. 15, they
face a huge challenge against the NFC’s hottest team.

The Saints, who totaled 573 yards in a 42-20 road rout of Minnesota last
Sunday, have scored at least 31 points in three of their last four games. They
have not allowed more than 24 points during the six-game winning streak that has
followed a 31-21 defeat at St. Louis on Oct. 30.

“We’re peaking at the right time,” linebacker Jonathan Vilma said. “I’m
talking about jelling as far as a team – offense, defense, special teams.”

Drew Brees went 32 of 40 for 412 yards and matched a season high with five
touchdowns against the lowly Vikings. With an NFL-leading 4,780 passing yards,
Brees is 305 shy of breaking Dan Marino’s single-season NFL record (5,084) set
in 1984.

“I’m as comfortable now in this offense as I’ve ever been,” Brees said.
“I’m aware that we’re close. I just know if we keep doing what we’re doing all
of that stuff will take care of itself.”

Brees improved to 9-3 against the Falcons after throwing for 322 yards and
two touchdowns in a 26-23 overtime win at Atlanta on Nov. 13.

New Orleans has won two straight and nine of 11 against Atlanta, but needed
overtime to win their first 2011 meeting and lost 27-24 at home to the Falcons
in 2010. Each of the last four games between the teams has been decided by three
points – three of them won by the Saints.

“We’re going to play a very good opponent and someone we’re very familiar
with in a game that obviously has a lot riding on it,” New Orleans coach Sean
Payton said. “We look forward to that challenge and we’ll go from there.”

Atlanta had little trouble taking care of the Jaguars, one week after
rallying from a 16-point second-half deficit to win 31-23 at Carolina. In a span
from the start of the third quarter at Carolina to the 2:12 mark of the third
versus Jacksonville, the Falcons scored 65 unanswered points – though it did
come against a pair of teams with a combined 9-19 record.

“That’s what we need,” said quarterback Matt Ryan, who has thrown seven
touchdowns without an interception over the last two weeks. “That’s the kind of
football we need to play moving forward, and I think it’s good that we’re doing
it at this time.”

Roddy White caught 10 passes for 135 yards and two TDs against the Jaguars.
It was the third time in five games he recorded at least 120 receiving yards.
White, who has five touchdowns in those five contests, has averaged 112.8 yards
and scored three times during his last four games against the Saints.

Teammate Michael Turner has rushed for 265 yards and two TDs on 50 carries
in his last two games at the Superdome.

New Orleans Saints safety Roman Harper said he was fined by the NFL for both of his personal foul penalties against the Tennessee Titans last week. According to the NFL, he was fined $15,000 was his helmet-to-helmet hit against quarterback Matt Hasselbeck in the second quarter and $7,500 for his facemask tackle against receiver Damian Williams at the end of a long catch in the third quarter.

Harper insisted that he didn’t intend harm on either hit, but he didn’t disagree with either call. The league doesn’t automatically hand out fines for all personal fouls, but the league determined that both of his hits met their standard. Harper said he had only been fined once before this year, when he hit Carolina Panthers receiver Steve Smith late in the end zone after a touchdown.

NFC South

With only four weeks left in the 2011 NFL regular season, the New Orleans Saints are moving closer and closer to clinching the NFC South title. With a two-game lead over the Atlanta Falcons, the Saints may have already won the NFC South by the time the two teams meet on Monday Night Football in New Orleans in Week 16. Take a closer look at the upcoming action in the NFC South in Week 14.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Jacksonville Jaguars

In Week 14, there are a plethora of huge NFL games with playoff implications. This is not one of them. The Buccaneers and Jaguars have both been disappointing in 2011. In fact, former Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio has already lost his job.

The Buccaneers are a young team that still needs to figure out how to win big games. If they can figure this out, they could contend in the NFC South in 2012. However, this Buccaneers team usually defeats teams with losing records and that trend should continue in Week 14.

Week 14 NFC South prediction: Buccaneers defeat Jaguars: 21-10

Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers

Last week, I was shocked that the Falcons lost to the Houston Texans. The Falcons lost to a team that was down to its third-string QB. Not only that, but the Texans also lost WR Andre Johnson. Meanwhile, the Panthers have won two straight heading into Week 14.

This NFC South divisional game has all the makings of an upset. If the Falcons defense could not stop T.J. Yates, how are they going to stop Cam Newton in Week 14? Also, the game is in Carolina and Matt Ryan is not the same QB on the road as he is in the Georgia Dome.

Week 14 NFC South prediction: Panthers def. Falcons: 34-27

New Orleans Saints at Tennessee Titans

The buzz around the NFL is that the Saints may be the toughest roadblock in the future to derail the Green Bay Packers undefeated season. The Saints certainly are playing well as they have taken control of the NFC South. Meanwhile, the Titans have quietly put together a fine 7-5 record going into Week 14.

As a Saints fan, this game scares me. The Saints have not played nearly as well on the road as they have at home. Also, Chris Johnson has the run the ball well lately and stopping the run is not a strong suit of the Saints defense. I think the Saints will find a way to win, but it will be a close affair.

Week 14 NFC South prediction: Saints def. Titans: 31-28

Patrick Michael was born and raised in New Orleans and currently resides in the Big Easy. As such, he is a lifelong, diehard New Orleans Saints fan. His highlight as a Saints fan was experiencing the magical Super Bowl season of 2009.

Sources

“Week 14 Scoreboard,” yahoo.com

More from this contributor

Ranking the NFL divisions since 2008

Predicting the NFC Playoff teams for 2011

Game summary of Super Bowl 48

The top 5 wide receivers in New Orleans Saints history

Top 5 NFL players in the Hall of Fame who should not be

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The New Orleans Saints enter December eyeing a run at the Super Bowl behind the sharp passing of their star quarterback Drew Brees.

“What it comes down to is we have a lot of confidence and we play very aggressive,” said Brees, whose streak of 38 straight games with a touchdown pass is second-longest in league history behind Johnny Unitas (47).

Brees is looking to lead New Orleans to a fourth consecutive victory Sunday when they host the Detroit Lions, who are fighting for a playoff spot.

To make matters worse for Detroit’s postseason chances, they will likely be without star defensive end Ndamukong Suh because of suspension.

New Orleans (8-3) heads into the game after an impressive 49-24 victory over the New York Giants on Monday.

Brees threw for 363 yards and four touchdowns and had an eight-yard touchdown run as the Saints finished with a whopping 577 yards. It was their second most yards in franchise history.

In another key matchup Sunday, the next stop for the Green Bay Packers in their pursuit of perfection is an opponent that has a reputation of ruining unbeaten seasons — the New York Giants.

In a battle of teams headed in opposite directions, the Packers travel to New York to face the Giants at MetLife Stadium.

New York ended Denver’s 13-0 start in 1998 although the Broncos went on to win the Super Bowl. The Giants also snapped New England’s attempt at a 19-0 season with a 17-14 win in Super Bowl XLII.

“It is different circumstances but it is the challenge of playing a team that is obviously a very good football team,” Giants head coach Tom Coughlin said.

Green Bay is five games away from a perfect regular season. The Packers will wrap up the NFC North title with a win and a loss by Detroit at New Orleans on Sunday.

“It is motivating to go out every week and compete better than you did the previous week,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said.

“We have been able to play the way we wanted to play consistently the first 11 games. We will see what happens when we get down this road a little bit.”

The Packers’ win streak began with a 45-17 home rout of the Giants in the next-to-last week of the 2010 regular season.

The NFL week got started with the Seattle Seahawks defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 31-14 on Thursday night.

Marshawn Lynch ran for 148 yards and a pair of first-half touchdowns for the Seahawks who posted their third victory in the past four games.

The Dallas Cowboys look to win five straight for the first time in nearly four years when they visit the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

The Cowboys have not won five in a row since a seven-game run October 21-December 9, 2007.

While it has not always been pretty, the Cowboys have climbed their way to the top of the NFC East. They face Arizona before their schedule gets much tougher.

Dallas endured a disappointing 3-4 start to the season but rebounded to reach 7-4 thanks in part to a favorable schedule.

“The teams that play in the playoffs and win in the playoffs are the teams that get better,” coach Jason Garrett said.

“We believe that if you improve over the course of the season, week-to-week, you are going to be playing well when you need to be playing really well, and that’s the end of the year.”

Quarterback Tony Romo said: “We needed to get going. We had some tough losses earlier in the year, and we were in position to win some games. At some point you’ve got to get on a roll and stack the wins together. Getting these four wins was very big.”

In other games Sunday, Indianapolis is at New England, Denver at Minnesota, Atlanta at Houston, New York Jets at Washington, Kansas City at Chicago, Cincinnati at Pittsburgh, Oakland at Miami, Tennessee at Buffalo, Carolina at Tampa Bay, Baltimore at Cleveland, and St. Louis at San Francisco.

The New Orleans Saints showed on Monday Night Football that they are still one of the best and most explosive teams in the NFL.

They also proved they are even better when playing inside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. By whipping the New York Giants 49-24, the Saints have once again thrust themselves into the conversation about Super Bowl contenders.

And while the unbeaten Green Bay Packers still are at the forefront of Super Bowl talk, it’s clear the Saints are worth mentioning.

That’s why the Saints moved up to the No. 2 position –one spot behind the Packers – in the latest NFL power rankings by The Times-Picayune.  

Here are the rankings:

Rankings, (last week), team, record,

1.(1) Green Bay Packers 11-0 Have won 17 straight, dating to last year.

2. (3) New Orleans Saints 8-3 Saints have be unbelievable at home. 

3. (5) New England Patriots 8-3 Pats could be the team to beat in AFC.

4. (4) Pittsburgh Steelers 8-3  Offense was a little off in win over Chiefs.

5. (8) Baltimore Ravens 8-3 Ravens can’t be counted out. 

6. (2) San Francisco 49ers 9-2 Looking to avoid two-game losing streak.

7. (7) Houston Texans 8-3 Would be AFC’s top seed if playoffs started today.

8. (10) Atlanta Falcons 7-4 Trying to keep up with the Saints.

9. (11) Dallas Cowboys 7-4 Cowboys are in first place in NFC East.

10. (14) Oakland Raiders 7-4 Raiders luky to have K Sebastian Janikowski.

11. (6) Chicago Bears 7-4 Caleb Hanie isn’t the answer at QB.

12. (13) Cincinnati Bengals 7-4 Snapped two-game losing streak.

13. (15) Denver Broncos 6-5 They just keep finding a way to win.

14. (9) Detroit Lions 7-4 Another tough game this week at the Saints.

15. (16) New York Jets 6-5 Sanchez came through.

16. (17) Tennessee Titans 6-5 Chris Johnson finally looked like CJ2K.

17 (12) New York Giants 6-5 Coach Coughlin may be on his way out.

18. (18) Buffalo Bills 5-6 Have lost five of last six games.

19. (19) Philadelphia Eagles 4-7 Can start looking to next year.

20. (28) Washington Redskins 4-7 Snapped six-game losing streak.

21. (20) Seattle Seahawks 4-7 Suffered a setback against the Redskins.

22. (21) Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4-7 Have lost six of last seven games.

23. (23) Kansas City Chiefs 4-7 Offense still struggling.

24. (24) Cleveland Browns 4-7 Played Bengals tough.

25. (22) San Diego Chargers 4-7 Have lost six straight games.

26. (27) Arizona Cardinals 4-7 Why are teams still punting to Patrick Peterson?

27. (25) Jacksonville Jaguars 3-8 Coach Del Rio looks like he’s out.

28. (29) Carolina Panthers 3-8 Picked up a win, albeit against the Colts.

29. (29) Miami Dolphins 3-8 Nearly upset Cowboys.

30. (30) St. Louis Rams 2-9 Couldn’t stop the run against Cardinals.

31. (31) Minnesota Vikings 2-9 Vikings weren’t supposed to be this bad.

32. (32) Indianapolis Colts 0-11 Has first dibs on top pick in NFL draft.

Let’s forget about the decision made by Atlanta Falcons Coach Mike Smith, if we can. Instead, let’s concentrate on where the New Orleans Saints are at the moment — sitting in first place in the NFC South with a 1 1/2 game lead heading into their bye week.

While the Saints aren’t totally comfortable following their 26-23 overtime win, they certainly took control of the division and kept themselves relevant in the conference with the big win.  

Since a mind-boggling loss to the St. Louis Rams, the Saints have pulled off big wins against two divisional foes — Tampa Bay and Atlanta.

In doing so, they showed they are one of the NFL’s top teams and have moved up three spots to No. 3 in the latest NFL power rankings by The Times-Picayune.

The Green Bay Packers remain No. 1, followed by the San Francisco 49ers. The Pittsburgh Steelers (No. 4) and New England Patriots (No. 5) are the top ranked teams from the AFC. 

Here are the rankings:

Rankings, (last week), team, record,

1.(1) Green Bay Packers 9-0 Have won 15 straight, dating back to last year.

2. (3) San Francisco 49ers 8-1 Lead the NFL in turnover margin.

3. (6) New Orleans Saints 7-3 Have a 1 1/2 game lead in NFC South. 

4. (7) Pittsburgh Steelers 7-3  Defense came up big late in game.

5. (8) New England Patriots 6-3 Looked like the old Pats.

6. (11) Chicago Bears 6-3 Turned in their best game of the season.

7. (12) Houston Texans 7-3 Have a comfortable lead in AFC South.

8. (2) Baltimore Ravens 6-3 Dropped to 2-3 on the road. 

9. (4) New York Giants 6-3 Ran out of fourth-quarter magic.

10. (5) Detroit Lions 6-3 QB Matt Stafford doubled his INT total with 4 against Bears.

11. (9) Atlanta Falcons 5-4 Coach may have cost his team a shot at the division.

12. (10) New York Jets 5-4 Defense struggled to stop Pats.

13. (13) Cincinnati Bengals 6-3 Had their five-game winning streak snapped.

14. (15) Dallas Cowboys 5-4 Tony Romo was great vs. Bills.

15. (19) Tennessee Titans 5-4 Chris Johnson ran for a season-high 130 yards.

16. (21) Oakland Raiders 5-4 Carson Palmer played well.

17. (14) Buffalo Bills 5-4 Have lost three of last four games.

18. (16) Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4-5 Have lost four of last five games.

19. (17) San Diego Chargers 4-5 Have lost four-straigth games.

20. (23) Denver Broncos 4-5 It hasn’t been pretty but they are winning with Tebow.

21. (20) Kansas City Chiefs 4-5 Offense struggled against Broncos.

22. (27) Jacksonville Jaguars 3-6 Picked up first road win of the season.

23. (28) Seattle Seahawks 3-6 Picked up a nice win against Ravens.

24. (29) Arizona Cardinals 3-6 QB John Skelton will have to take over now.

25. (18) Philadelphia Eagles 3-6 This team’s playoff hopes are all but over.

26. (22) Washington Redskins 3-6 Redskins have lost their early-season mojo.

27. (24) Cleveland Browns 3-6 Failed to score a TD against Rams.

28. (31) St. Louis Rams 2-7 Steven Jackson led the way to win.

29. (30) Miami Dolphins 2-7 Reggie Bush is playing well.

30. (25) Minnesota Vikings 2-7 Couldn’t keep it close this time against Packers.

31. (26) Carolina Panthers 2-7 Held to a season-low 3 points.

32. (32) Indianapolis Colts 0-10 The losing continues.

New Orleans Saints fans were up in arms over several questionable calls in the Tampa Bay victory.

A pass interference call against Leigh Torrence when Torrence appeared to have good position on the receiver.

An unusual delay of game call against Patrick Robinson on a punt.

A holding call against wide receiver Devery Henderson that cost running back Darren Sproles a touchdown.

As a general rule, the Saints and Coach Sean Payton refrain from dwelling on officiating because it’s a fruitless measure and distracts from more important issues — a stance Payton made in Carolina following the Panthers game last month. But Drew Brees did say, “Sproles got robbed of a touchdown,” following the game.

On Monday, Payton smiled when asked about the officiating crew.

“Probably not as candid as I’d like to be,” he said, when asked if he’d give his opinion.

The delay of game penalty on Robinson came about because Robinson allegedly tried to goad the gunner on the punt into jumping offsides. The penalty gave Tampa Bay a first down and, in effect, another possession. Payton said the confusion lies chiefly in the “delay of game” call.

“It used to be defensively, you guys might remember, defensive players would try to move to draw a lineman offsides,” he said. “It happened a lot in the kicking game 10 years ago when teams lined up to punt or kick field goals where periodically a defensive lineman would line up to try to jump. When you extend out to a holdup player on the punt unit and you’re getting ready to block a gunner, the same thing applies. The call is a little unique in that it’s called a delay of game, but that’s the penalty. You’re not allowed defensively to try to do that.”

In conclusion, Payton praised the officiating crew while acknowledging the call on Henderson in particular was disappointing.

“Overall, that crew worked their tails off and did a good job, and yet there are some calls that don’t go your way — and there are some calls that do go your way,” he said. “The one offsides where we were called defensively, and clearly the tackle moved.

“Maybe sometimes you just miss that, and I understand that. The one that was disappointing was the one at the end where Devery Henderson does a great job, I mean I think a textbook job of really blocking on the perimeter. He’s probably our best blocker as a receiver and springs Darren for what’s going to be our last play on offense, and it comes back. Each week those are going to come up, and you just hope you’re going to get a few of them that go your way. You get a few of them that don’t, and it’s no different from the players element where often times there are mistakes and you keep playing and no different from the coaching standpoint where there are things that I do each week throughout the framework of the game or throughout the week that are mistakes. It’s no different for those guys who have a tough job. You just hope it balances out.”

When the Saints won Super Bowl XLIV, they had the best red-zone defense in the NFL. Currently, they rank dead last.

That fall from tight space grace helps explain the team’s inconsistency during the past two years, and safety Malcolm Jenkins said Monday improving that ranking has become a point of emphasis for the team in the critical month of November.

The Saints have given up 15 touchdowns in 21 opponent’s possessions inside the 20-yard line, a 71.4 percent figure. New Orleans (6-3) is the only team in the NFL allowing a touchdown more than 70 percent of the time.

“You know what, that’s what we’re trying to figure out,” Jenkins said when asked to what he attributed the flip in red zone defensive success. “We got back to it; we had a huge emphasis on it this past week in practice, and I thought we played pretty well this past game (against the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers). We’ve got to get back to making them kick field goals. We definitely have to improve in the red-zone defense because if we can hold teams to three points every time, eventually our offense will just outscore them.”

The statistic was especially galling in the team’s loss at St. Louis on Oct. 30 where it surrendered two touchdowns just before halftime to turn a 3-0 game into a 17-0 deficit. And that statistic remains high even after the Saints limited Tampa Bay to two red-zone trips Sunday. The Buccaneers converted one of those possessions into seven points.

Jenkins said the red-zone failures have been compounded by penalties — “we’re giving them extra sets of downs, which is crucial” — and the Saints’ inability to get more takeaways. New Orleans is 26th in the league in turnover margin at minus-6.

“We’ve all been struggling with taking advantage of the opportunities that come,” he said. “At the beginning of the season, it was kind of a joking thing, but now we’re really taking the stuff serious because it’s preventing us from being where we want to be defensively.

“A lot of (the chances) are coming in the red zone, too, where we can get red-zone interceptions and take away seven points as opposed to giving them up. We haven’t done that well in the red zone, so that makes those turnover opportunities even more crucial. Whenever we can get the ball back in (quarterback) Drew’s (Brees) hands it’s huge for us as a team and how successful we are. We’re dropping some interceptions. It’s everybody, whether it’s linebackers or DBs. It’s been an emphasis in practice, but when we get in the game we’ve got to make those plays. We’re starting to, but we’re still a long way from where we want to be.”

OFFICIAL REVIEW: Saints fans were up in arms over several questionable calls in the Tampa Bay victory.

A pass interference call against Leigh Torrence when Torrence appeared to have good position on the receiver.

An unusual delay of game call against Patrick Robinson on a punt.

A holding call against wide receiver Devery Henderson that cost running back Darren Sproles a touchdown.

As a general rule, the Saints and Payton refrain from dwelling on officiating because it’s a fruitless measure and distracts from more important issues Ñ a stance Payton made in Carolina following the Panthers game last month. But Brees did say, “Sproles got robbed of a touchdown,” following the game.

On Monday, Payton smiled when asked about the officiating crew.

“Probably not as candid as I’d like to be,” he said, when asked if he’d give his opinion.

The delay of game penalty on Robinson came about because Robinson allegedly tried to goad the gunner on the punt into jumping offsides. The penalty gave Tampa Bay a first down and, in effect, another possession. Payton said the confusion lies chiefly in the “delay of game” call.

“It used to be defensively, you guys might remember, defensive players would try to move to draw a lineman offsides,” he said. “It happened a lot in the kicking game 10 years ago when teams lined up to punt or kick field goals where periodically a defensive lineman would line up to try to jump. When you extend out to a holdup player on the punt unit and you’re getting ready to block a gunner, the same thing applies. The call is a little unique in that it’s called a delay of game, but that’s the penalty. You’re not allowed defensively to try to do that.”

In conclusion, Payton praised the officiating crew while acknowledging the call on Henderson in particular was disappointing.

“Overall, that crew worked their tails off and did a good job, and yet there are some calls that don’t go your way — and there are some calls that do go your way,” he said. “The one offsides where we were called defensively, and clearly the tackle moved.

“Maybe sometimes you just miss that, and I understand that. The one that was disappointing was the one at the end where Devery Henderson does a great job, I mean I think a textbook job of really blocking on the perimeter. He’s probably our best blocker as a receiver and springs Darren for what’s going to be our last play on offense, and it comes back. Each week those are going to come up, and you just hope you’re going to get a few of them that go your way. You get a few of them that don’t, and it’s no different from the players element where often times there are mistakes and you keep playing and no different from the coaching standpoint where there are things that I do each week throughout the framework of the game or throughout the week that are mistakes. It’s no different for those guys who have a tough job. You just hope it balances out.”

Fans sitting in the upper deck turned their backs to the field, where the New Orleans Saints were setting franchise records, and saluted head coach Sean Payton, who was sitting high above in a booth with his broken leg propped up.
He might as well have had both feet up by the middle of the third quarter.
Drew Brees completed 31 of 35 passes for 325 yards and five touchdowns, and the Saints set a franchise record for points and victory margin in a 62-7 demolition of the hapless Indianapolis Colts on Sunday night in New Orleans.
Payton had called offensive plays from the sidelines since he took his first head coaching job with New Orleans in 2006, but that changed after he was caught up in a tackle along the sideline at Tampa Bay last week and was injured. Sitting high up in the Superdome for the game against the Colts, he had to like what he saw down below, where offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. called plays for the first time.
Brees had two touchdown passes to Marques Colston and one to Darren Sproles in the first quarter. His fourth and fifth touchdown tosses went to second-year tight end Jimmy Graham in the third quarter.
It seemed the Saints could do whatever they wanted, also rushing for 236 yards.
   The Saints had 557 yards and a team-record 36 first downs.
Colts quarterback Curtis Painter was only 9 of 17 for 67 yards and had an interception returned 42 yards for a touchdown by Leigh Torrence.
   HONOR ROLL
   Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers, was 26 of 39 for 361 yards and three touchdowns in Pittsburgh’s 32-20 win over Arizona.
Aaron Rodgers, Packers, passed for 335 yards and three touchdowns in Green Bay’s 33-27 win over Minnesota.
  Rookie Cam Newton, Panthers, had 256 yards passing and a touchdown and ran for 59 more and a score in Carolina’s 33-20 win over Washington.
Rookie DeMarco Murray, Cowboys, rushed for a franchise-record 253 yards in Dallas’ win over St. Louis.
  Greg Jennings, Packers, had seven catches for 147 yards and a TD in Green Bay’s 33-27 win over Minnesota. Michael Jenkins, Vikings, had three catches for 111 yards and a score.
Phil Dawson, Browns, made two field goals over 50 yards, overcoming two blocks, in Cleveland’s 6-3 win over Seattle. Red Bryant, Seahawks, had the two blocks.
Kendrick Lewis, Chiefs, returned an interception 59 yards for a touchdown and teammate Brandon Flowers returned one 58 yards for a score in Kansas City’s 28-0 win over Oakland.
Stat Sheet
   Houston beat Tennessee, 41-7, for the largest margin of victory in franchise history. … Arian Foster became the first Texans player with 100 yards rushing and receiving in the same game. Ben Tate gave the Texans two backs with 100 yards in the same game for the first time in their short history.
 Chicago’s Matt Forte has a combined 1,089 yards rushing and receiving. Forte is the first player since 2004 to go over 1,000 yards after seven games since Priest Holmes and Tiki Barber in 2004.
Chicago’s Matt Forte has a combined 1,089 yards rushing and receiving. Forte is the first player since 2004 to go over 1,000 yards after seven games since Priest Holmes and Tiki Barber in 2004.
Atlanta’s Tony Gonzalez caught five passes for 62 yards, giving him 1,104 career receptions to trail only Jerry Rice in NFL history – by 445 catches. He passed Cris Carter (1,101) and Marvin Harrison (1,102).
Miami has lost nine straight games overall and 12 of its past 13 at home.
    

When training camp began, New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton made it clear rushing more efficiently was a team goal this season. At the beginning of the year, the Saints seemed to be doing that, but Payton acknowledged the ground attack faltered badly against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

There were a variety of reasons. Payton pointed to less success on third down (although the Saints still converted 42 percent), the consequences of which meant fewer snaps and less fully developed drives on which New Orleans could have run the ball.

There is statistical evidence supporting that view. At Carolina, for example, the Saints’ 3.6 yard per carry average was virtually identical to the 3.5 they ground out at Tampa Bay. But the Saints had 28 rushing attempts against the Panthers compared to only 20 against the Bucs.

On the whole, however, Payton declined to delve into the matter, offering instead a rather perfunctory answer.

“Obviously we didn’t run it as well as we’d like to against Tampa Bay,” he said. “It’s something we’ll continue to work on. We think it’s an important element to us winning.”

Running back Pierre Thomas, a hero in the comeback at Carolina who managed just 11 yards on seven carries with a fumble at Tampa Bay, said the scoreboard also dictated the Saints’ style of play.

“Sometimes you’ve got to play from behind; sometimes we put ourselves in the hole,” Thomas said. “We want to come out and be strong; hit our opponents in the mouth before they hit us. If we do that, start fast and start strong, I think it will open up our running game a lot more and it’ll start to improve.”

Several times running back Mark Ingram said everyone must “get on the same page” to make the rushing attack click, but he declined to offer specifics when pressed. Ingram finished the Tampa Bay game with 22 yards on nine carries.

“Guys just have got to be on the same page, everybody’s got to be executing their assignment and we’ll be fine,” said Ingram, whose 12-yard scoring burst in the fourth quarter last Sunday was the highlight of the Saints’ ground game.

Darren Sproles got one carry against the Bucs, for a 16-yard gain — New Orleans longest rush of the game. For the season, Sproles is averaging 7.4 yards per carry.

Sproles noted that, unlike Thomas and Ingram, he does not need many carries to have an impact because he is such a threat on special teams. And he, too, believes the underlying rushing scheme is sound.

“We really couldn’t stick with it the way we wanted to,” he said. “Remember with the run game it’s not going to be a pretty run every single time, you’ve got to just keep pounding it, really, and you’re eventually going to get one. Sunday, we just couldn’t stick with it.”

One other twist: Sproles, who has scored a touchdown rushing, receiving and kick returning this season, said his 5-feet-6, 190, frame is an illusion. He loves running between the tackles.

“And that’s actually where you get a lot of your big runs,” he said. “When you run wide it gives the defenders more time to catch up and string out the play, but up the middle, once you’re through the line, you’re in the secondary very fast.”