2018 NFL Power Rankings Week 2: Los Angeles Rams crush Oakland Raiders 33-13

8. New Orleans Saints

Most teams that score 40 points in a single game would seem like a guarantee for a victory, but unfortunately for the New Orleans Saints, this wasn’t the case during Sunday’s meeting with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. When comparing the two teams on paper, it was easy to see why the Saints were such a heavy favorite, and when looking at how the team’s defense was expected to be a top unit for a second  year in a row, it was surprising to see the team allow 48 points to the Buccaneers.

Never in a million years did anyone think Ryan Fitzpatrick of all players would account for five total touchdowns against a defense like New Orleans, but Sean Payton’s team can’t beat themselves up too much over one outcome. At the end of the day, this was only one loss for the Saints, and while the case be different for other teams based off certain positions, there’s no reason for Payton to hit the panic button after this loss.

Divisional games sometimes bring out to the best in teams, and if the Saints can recover by putting together a strong performance in Week 2 against the Cleveland Browns, this loss to the Buccaneers won’t seem like that big of a deal. On a positive note, at least fantasy football owners were pleased to see Alvin Kamara find the end zone three times.