It is understandable that even with the devastating injury, some people are still willing to say the Eagles are the team to beat in the NFC as we near the end of this incredibly competitive regular season. It is justifiable when someone makes the argument that with Wentz out of the picture and with such reliable defense and running game, the Minnesota Vikings are the new bosses of the NFC. It is even comprehensible that the league’s youngest coach, Sean McVay, lost the battle but won the war when his Rams fell to Philadelphia while taking Wentz out in the process. However, unlike those notions, it is not just plausible and it is not just fathomable when I say that the New Orleans Saints are now the best team in the NFC and that with Wentz out of the picture, they are the only team I can legitimately picture winning the conference.
In a hyper-competitive and extremely close race, there is very little separation in the NFC when it comes to the strengths and weaknesses of each team. Some of these teams have wins over the others and it makes it hard to define when you are placing your bet on one of these horses. The Saints have indeed fallen to Los Angeles and Minnesota, two teams in direct comparison within the current elite crop of NFC teams. Those games were in the regular season though and they both took place at times where the Saints were not healthy of either mind (week one) or body (no Lattimore vs. LAR). If there are defining characteristics that separate any of these teams from one another, it all evens out unless you look at the intangibles. In that department, the top three teams currently occupying the top three seeds in the NFC lack those intangibles often cited as being the reasons for a team breaking through and winning championships.
Philly, Minnesota, and Los Angeles all lack the leadership experience. None of these teams have a head coach who has guided a team through the playoff gauntlet. All three of these teams currently ahead of the Saints lack a quarterback who is recognized as elite. Sure those are not measurables and these three teams statically are measuring out to be exceptional, but if you are talking about those indefinable qualities that make champions, the Saints and even the teams behind them in the standings have more “mojo” or “ Kavorka” in that department. Green Bay, Carolina, Atlanta, and Seattle are all teams with resumes that you can trust more than these new bloods running on top. But even compared to the teams that have been there, the Saints possess more in that department and more in the actual measurable statistical categories that has me so confident at this point in the season.
So with teams in mind like Minnesota and their unlikely but amazing run with Case Keenum. With Philadelphia’s tough defense still being a force with their QB on the shelf, in mind. Not forgetting the Rams, the Seahawks, and the Falcons. These tough tough teams making the NFC so competitive. I remember how good they are; teams like Green Bay and the Panthers; and they can all kiss my ass! Because in front my father and god as my witness, today I ignite the new flame of the sport of professional football when I proclaim that the writing is on the wall! With Drew Brees, Sean Payton, the league’s most improved defense, and the league’s best offensive line! The Saints run and are the team to beat in the NFC!