There really aren’t a whole lot of teams to choose from when debating which currently deserves the No. 1 spot in NFL power rankings.
Only a handful of clubs truly have looked like Super Bowl contenders through the first quarter of the 2019 campaign, and just three undefeated squads remain entering Week 5.
One of those unbeaten teams is the Kansas City Chiefs, but ESPN’s Ryan Clark believes their deficiencies on the defensive side of the ball prevent them from being labeled as the best team in football.
“Listen, the Kansas City Chiefs are extremely good and if we were only playing one side of the ball, they would absolutely be the team I would pick,” Clark said Wednesday on “Get Up!” “If it was fantasy football, the Kansas City Chiefs would be the best team. But they are not complete. When you watch a game like with Matthew Stafford and the Detroit Lions and the way that he excelled, the plays he was able to make. The fourth quarter, Lamar Jackson, the way he was able to throw the ball up and toss it up. Outside, they can’t make the plays.”
So, if it’s not Patrick Mahomes and Co. at No. 1, it has to be the reigning Super Bowl champions, right?
Wrong.
“The Patriots are absolutely in the conversation,” Clark said. “They are on a collision course to play in the AFC Championship against the Kansas City Chiefs. But right now, to me, I believe that the Saints are as good on defense and better on offense than the New England Patriots are because of the weapons outside. I see the New Orleans Saints, once Drew Brees is back, being a team that is as complete as any team we’ve seen in this league.”
Neither the Saints nor the Patriots looked impressive offensively in Week 4, but both managed to grind out wins over previously undefeated teams. Each team’s defense posted a stout performance, but to say New Orleans’ unit is on par with New England’s is a bit of a stretch.
Let’s take a lot at the numbers, shall we?
The Patriots currently rank first in the league in both points and yards allowed per game. The Saints, meanwhile, rank 16th and 26th in those categories, respectively. New England also has collected the NFL’s most interceptions through four weeks and is tied for the league lead in sacks. New Orleans currently is slated 20th and tied for 14th in those groupings, respectively.
So yes, there’s a good chance the Saints will have a more high-powered offense than the Patriots once Brees returns under center. But in terms of defense, the gap between New Orleans and New England is much bigger than Clark makes it out to be.
