Saints post Week 7 power rankings

NFL.com – 24 (-3)
“Things seem to be turning sour fast in New Orleans after five straight losses, with the team being trucked by its former coach last week. Now Dennis Allen is in a fight for this season. There’s no doubt that injuries have decimated the roster, contributing to the huge fall after the rousing 2-0 start. Allen has to find a way to coax a little life out of this club, however it happens. It’s just that with a leaky offensive line, few reliable offensive playmakers and bad run fits and tackling on defense, the chore appears incredibly tough. Derek Carr is still trying to work his way back from an oblique injury; in the meantime, Allen will continue to cast his lot with Spencer Rattler, even after Jake Haener produced a solid relief showing against the Broncos. No matter who’s at QB, it’s hard to see New Orleans truly bouncing back.”

USA Today – 24 (-4)
“The Saints are tumbling big time. They were ravaged by injuries but failed o do anything other than makes Sean Payton’s homecoming a sweet one.”

Bleacher Report – 25 (-7)

“The New Orleans Saints are in free fall.

After rolling to big wins in their first two games, the Saints have now dropped five straight after getting blown out by the Denver Broncos on Thursday night. They have been decimated by injuries. The defense was shredded by the Broncos for well over 200 yards on the ground.

While talking to reporters, Saints head coach Dennis Allen acknowledged that injuries have played a part in the skid. But he also said the team has gotten away from what was working for New Orleans on both sides of the ball.

“It’s been disappointing,” Allen said. “Injuries play a part of it, but we’ve got to find a way to play better. We’re making mistakes we shouldn’t be making. Us as coaches and players alike, we’ve got to figure it out.

“… Early on in the season, we played good football, so I know this team has it in them. But right now, we’re not playing that way and obviously there’s a multitude of reasons why, and we’ve got to figure out how to get back to playing that type of football.”

Analyst’s Take

It’s hard to believe that this is the same Saints team that blew out the Panthers and Cowboys to open the season. The defense was gashed for 389 yards by a Denver offense that hasn’t exactly been lighting it up. The Spencer Rattler-led Saints offense that was down its top two receivers amassed only 271 yards of offense and turned it over twice.

The Saints season is circling the drain, and Allen’s future as head coach is—well, let’s just say the seat under him is getting a tad warm. — Davenport”

CBS Sports – 22 (-2)
“Injuries have decimated this team. They just don’t have enough good players right now. Even if Derek Carr comes back, it’s a problem.”

Sports Illustrated – 24 (+1)
“While I hate taking 30,000-foot views on many teams, the Saints continue to be a club that bums me out. I mentioned last week that I feel for Dennis Allen, who is basically the head coach of NFL Enron. This team is constantly spiraling into a financial crisis. Allen nailed his offensive coordinator hire, then his quarterback and top deep threat went down along with many other critical injuries. I hear people crying to move on from Allen and my question is—to do what? Moving on from Allen wipes out the staff, which has a lot of promise. And, what coach are you going to get to eagerly come in and take a job where he may have to eat wild amounts of dead cap?”