Week 1 made for an exciting debut for the New Orleans Saints, taking their game with the Detroit Lions to overtime and nearly pulling off an upset. If not for an overturned defensive touchdown, they might have won it outright. Fans who invested stock early in Tyler Shough's potential have to come out of this one feeling encouraged after he rallied the team from a 21-0 deficit. That he dug that hole for them himself with three turnovers in the first three quarters before starting the comeback showed real resilience.
Experts from around the NFL media landscape shared their Week 2 power rankings, reacting to the opening week of games and reevaluating their preseason expectations. The Saints are ranked as high as No. 17 in some power rankings, but
other outlets have them as low as No. 25. Losing by a single point to a trendy Super Bowl pick wasn't enough to win over all of their doubters.
USA TODAY: No. 17 (+2)
17. New Orleans Saints (19): If you didn't listen six weeks ago, are you bought in now? And just wait until they have Cam Jordan, Alvin Kamara and Jordyn Tyson back.
ESPN: No. 25 (No change)
Fant, who signed to a two-year deal in spring, made what could have been the go-ahead touchdown in overtime. Quarterback Tyler Shough found him for an 8-yard score with 1:38 left in OT, but the Saints couldn't convert the 2-point conversion for the win. Though Fant had only four receptions for 33 yards, most of that came in the second half, when the Saints' offense finally began to click. His eight targets indicate that he'll be a key piece of the unit moving forward. -- Katherine Terrell
Yahoo: No. 23 (+1)
The Saints have a rightful complaint that a defensive touchdown was taken off the board due to a convoluted explanation of why Jared Goff's pass that went backward was actually incomplete. With that play, the Saints probably win a game that they eventually lost in overtime. Still, being a 2-point conversion away from beating a talented Lions team on the road is a positive sign for the season.
Sports Illustrated: No. 20 (+2)
I’ll say this about Tyler Shough, who I questioned a lot this offseason in terms of how much better he could get after a complete offseason: tough as nails down 21 points in the third quarter against a good team. He absolutely threw the Saints back into a game with several near-perfect balls. I’m more confident in this team being a legit divisional factor now than I was a few months ago.
FOX Sports: No. 19 (+6)
QB Tyler Shough was terrible. Then he was brilliant. In the end, the Saints were one two-point conversion in overtime away from pulling off an upset that would’ve defined their season and proven to everyone they might be the surprise of the NFL this year.
The Athletic: No. 21 (+1)
Tyler Shough and the offense were terrible to start. It would’ve been easy to pack it in on the road against a good team. But the Saints battled back from a 21-0 deficit to take the lead in the fourth quarter and had a 2-point attempt in overtime to try to win. If Shough can get off to better starts, the Saints could be a sneaky-good team, especially in the NFC South.
Bleacher Report: No. 22 (-2)
The New Orleans Saints showed resilience by coming back from a 21-0 third-quarter deficit against the Detroit Lions. At the same time, Kellen Moore's squad came up short in overtime and failed to finish.
Moore and his staff have done a tremendous job making the Saints a competitive squad. This time a year ago, many viewed New Orleans as having the league's least talented roster. By the end of the 2025 campaign, the Saints were pushing for a potential postseason appearance. Thus, expectations rose.
New Orleans showed it could hang with the Lions despite playing poorly early in the contest. The ability to grind out a tough win when facing adversity is the next step the Saints must take. -- Brent Sobleski
NFL.com: No. 21 (+1)
I'll spend the quiet moments of the next few days wondering how Week 1 might have played out had the Saints woken up before the third quarter of Sunday's loss to the Lions. What if Jared Goff's fumble hadn't been overturned by replay, Jonas Sanker scored and it was a 7-7 game in the second quarter? But the "what if" game is a favorite of fools, and we're not court jesters. Tyler Shough and friends can build off this narrow defeat and hopefully produce results before halftime of Week 2.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints climb in Week 2 NFL power rankings, but are they a top-20 team?
