Niner Noise
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NFL power rankings: 49ers surge in Week 3, while Saints fall

By Peter Panacy

CINCINNATI, OH - SEPTEMBER 15: Richie James #13 and Marquise Goodwin #11 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrate after Goodwin made a catch for a first down in the third quarter of the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on September 15, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Bobby Ellis/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OH - SEPTEMBER 15: Richie James #13 and Marquise Goodwin #11 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrate after Goodwin made a catch for a first down in the third quarter of the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on September 15, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Bobby Ellis/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 15: Nickell Robey-Coleman #23 of the Los Angeles Rams attempts to tackle Teddy Bridgewater #5 of the New Orleans Saints during the second half in the game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 15, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 15: Nickell Robey-Coleman #23 of the Los Angeles Rams attempts to tackle Teddy Bridgewater #5 of the New Orleans Saints during the second half in the game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 15, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

team. 15. . 1-1. Previous: . New Orleans Saints. 10

L, 27-9 @ Rams

This is a major problem for the Saints, who take a massive tumble in our NFL power rankings and fall to the fringe of the top 10.

Drew Brees hit his hand on Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald early in the game, which forced him out of the game in favor of Brees’ backup, Teddy Bridgewater, who looked all out of sorts during his on-field time.

This, from ESPN’s Josina Anderson, painted an even worse picture after the game:

With Brees poised to miss a significant amount of time, perhaps six weeks, the Saints are in trouble. There’s no other way around it, especially watching Bridgewater go 17-of-30 and missing his targets with regularity.

This rematch of the NFC Championship game would have been a great indication how solid the Saints could be in 2019, more importantly if they are a legit Super Bowl contender.

New Orleans is still in contention, of course. But those chances could have taken a massive blow in L.A.