Most dangerous NFC teams

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It's been a long time since the NFC was this unpredictable. Coming into this season, many people thought the Eagles would be the worst team in the NFC East. The Saints looked horrible after their first two games (both defeats). Throw in the Vikings (who are being led by a quarterback on his third team in four years) and the Rams (who haven't enjoyed a winning season since 2003), and you should get the picture. Anybody who picked all four of these teams to be leading their respective divisions at this stage needs to buy a lottery ticket ASAP. That said, the Saints have the look of a team nobody wants to see in the postseason. They have the best quarterback in the bunch, as Drew Brees is still capable of posting big numbers and he's the only signal caller among the current NFC division leaders with a Super Bowl ring. Head coach Sean Payton also has done something that was beginning to seem impossible: He's placed more faith in his running game and cultivated a defense that has played with confidence and conviction. The Saints are currently sixth in the league in scoring (27.6 points per game), seventh in rushing (122.8 yards per game) and ninth in points allowed (19.4 per game). Now consider this: Every time Payton has had a team that ranked at least 20th in scoring defense, he's made the playoffs. That's about to be the case once again this season -- and the rest of the conference better beware.

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