NFC rankings: Do Vikings deserve to be No. 1?

With this guy running things, are the Minnesota Vikings as good as the New Orleans Saints right now?

As is usually the case when somebody or some team so obviously sits at the top, we start looking for blemishes. So for about 10 minutes this morning, I convinced myself that the New Orleans Saints were starting to show their weaknesses. Their defense looked very average the last two weeks against the Falcons and Miami. Their offense really wasn’t all that dominant (relatively speaking) in a home game against a beat-up Atlanta defense. And maybe the Minnesota Vikings were better.

Then I looked at the numbers and the moment passed.

Here are this week’s NFC rankings, with little change at the top. The Falcons are still hanging in the top 10 despite consecutive losses, primarily because nobody behind them is doing anything, either. (Last week’s ranking in parenthesis.)

1. (1) NEW ORLEANS (7-0): They beat the Falcons by eight points (35-27) but didn’t cover the spread (10). So there’s one flaw. But they remain No. 1 in offense and scoring. I tried to make a case for them being only the second best team in the conference. But then I realized they’ve already beaten the Eagles, Giants, Jets and Falcons, which trumps the Vikings’ quality wins over the Packers (twice) and Baltimore. And the Saints’ next three opponents? Carolina (3-4), St. Louis (1-7) and Tampa Bay (0-7), before a Monday night game against New England. Barring an unexpected faceplant, you can write down “10-0.”

2. (2) MINNESOTA (7-1): The Vikings have lost only one game this season, and that was at Pittsburgh. That also came without Pro Bowl cornerback Antoine Winfield (fractured foot), who’ll probably miss at least a couple of more games. So what happens when he comes back? Brett Favre might be an egomaniacal selfish swine, but he also has been fairly great. And he just beat Green Bay for the second time this season. The Packers might recover. I’ m not sure the city will.

Looked for a picture of Roy Williams making a catch. Couldn't find one.

3. (4) DALLAS (5-2): Tony Romo has eight touchdowns, zero interceptions and 918 passing yards in the last three games. So what happens? Wide receiver Roy Williams –whom Jerry Jones foolishly traded three draft picks for, and then gave him a trunk full of cash — complains that he can’t find a rhythm with Romo. Funny. Miles Austin, the “No. 2″ receiver (Williams’ designation), is succeding. Only in Dallas. By the way: The Cowboys are going down to the Eagles Sunday. Then everybody will be as miserable as Williams.

4. (6) PHILADELPHIA (5-2): This is why all of those Las Vegas sportsbooks have no trouble affording new lightbulbs and fresh tuna salad on the buffet. The Eagles scored nine points against the Oakland Raiders. So they stink, right? In the two games since, they’ve scored 67 against the Redskins and Giants. This week, Team Sybil goes to Dallas. On an unrelated note, Michael Vick’s uniform is still clean.

5. (3) GREEN BAY (4-3): Despite the losses to Favre, the Packers should still be a playoff team. Here’s the question: How does Aaron Rodgers recover from being outplayed twice by his predecessor? We won’t find out this week. The Packers only play at Tampa Bay. But look at the first three opponents in December: Baltimore, Chicago, Pittsburgh. That’s either legend or meltdown time.

6. (5) ARIZONA (4-2): Kurt Warner threw five interceptions in last week’s loss  to Carolina. If anybody needs a Fantasy League quarterback, I just left him on the curb with the recyclables.

7. (7) N.Y. GIANTS (5-3): Since a 5-0 start, New York has lost three straight, allowed 112 points and generally made New York sports fans miserable. I choose to focus on that and not the fact the Yankees just bought themselves a World Series.

Matt Ryan needs to step it up for Falcons to win again.

8. (8) FALCONS (4-3): Matt Ryan has alternated between ordinary and shaky the past few games. Pass protection also has dropped off. But if the New Orleans game wasn’t an aberration and Michael Turner continues to run well, the offense will be fine. Defense? It’s a mess. But that shouldn’t matter this week against Washington.

9. (9) CHICAGO (4-3): The Bears beat Cleveland 30-6 last Sunday, but I almost dropped them, anyway. Quarterback Jay Cutler was sacked four times. Everything got bruised except his ego, which I believe is more powerful than Kryptonite. Pretty sure this is an average team. But we’re about to find out. The next four games: Arizona, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Minnesota.

10. (11) CAROLINA (3-4): I was stunned the Panthers beat Arizona. I’ll be drooling and sitting in the corner next to Martini and Cheswick if they upset New Orleans.

11. (10) SAN FRANCISCO (3-4): I know Mike Singletary acts like a crazy man sometimes. Or, I suppose, doesn’t act. But he continues to get a bad team to play hard, as evidenced by last week’s narrow (18-14) loss to Indianapolis. This should make the Falcons feel good. Atlanta won at San Francisco 45-10. But the 49ers’ other three losses have come by a total of 10 points.

12. (12) SEATTLE (2-5): I sense Jim Mora and Gregg Knapp are very close to turning this thing around. No. Just kidding. Try the veal.

13. (15) ST. LOUIS (1-7): The Rams ended a 17-game losing streak won their first game over the Lions. Party! When they come back from the bye week, it’ll be a wonder if Marc Bulger isn’t bussing tables. By the way: Remember Chris Long, one of the players drafted ahead of Matt Ryan? He has one sack.

For the record, it's not their fault in Tampa.

14. (14) WASHINGTON (2-5): Former Redskins great John Riggins said this week that owner Dan Snyder is a “bad guy” and “his heart is dark.” Defensive coordinator Greg Blache countered with a vigorous defense of Snyder. Riggins doesn’t get paid by Snyder. Blache does. Coincidence, I’m sure. At least everybody agrees on one thing: This team stinks.

15. (13) DETROIT (1-5): For anybody who thinks Matthew Stafford regrets leaving Georgia a year early, what would you rather have: a $78 million contract or starting job in Athens right now?

16. (16) TAMPA BAY (0-7): The Bucs are the last of the NFL’s winless teams. They had the whole bye week to think about that.