By Pat Yasinskas

Mike Sando has his weekly MVP Watch on the NFC West blog and he has two candidates listed from the NFC South.

Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan and New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees are on the list. Atlanta receiver Roddy White has fallen off the list.

I’ve said almost all season that White has been the MVP of the division. I still feel that way. But, as I pointed out in this morning’s NFC South Stock Watch, White’s stock is down a bit after two consecutive games that were pretty ordinary. If White can string together a few big games down the stretch, he’s back in the race. But I’m not going to dispute Sando’s choice to leave him off the list right now.

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By Pat Yasinskas

TAMPA, Fla. — It’s that time of year when we start talking about playoff scenarios, so let’s do it.

Click over here and you can see where things stand if the season ended today. Things are looking good for most of the NFC South. As of this moment, the Atlanta Falcons would hold the NFC’s No. 1 seed. In other words, they’d have home-field advantage and that’s hugely significant. Since quarterback Matt Ryan joined the team, the Falcons have lost only one game Ryan has started in the Georgia Dome. That happened in 2008, Ryan’s rookie year.

The 8-3 New Orleans Saints would be the top wild-card team and the No. 5 seed. The Falcons and Saints are the only two NFC South teams that would be in the playoffs at the moment.

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By Pat Yasinskas

Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

ARLINGTON, Texas — Maybe it was one of the goat horns that suddenly was sprouting out of Malcolm Jenkins‘ helmet that caused perhaps the biggest play of the season for the New Orleans Saints.

The safety, who made a mistake in coverage, somehow chased down Dallas Cowboys receiver Roy E. Williams and popped the ball loose deep in Saints’ territory. Just moments earlier, it seemed the Saints were about to let a shot at a repeat of the NFC South title and the Super Bowl championship fade away.

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COLUMN By TIM COWLISHAW / The Dallas Morning News
wtcowlishaw@dallasnews.com

When Cowboys owner Jerry Jones turns his gaze to the opponent’s sideline today, he’s likely to be struck by two thoughts about Saints coach Sean Payton.

One. “I used to have him.”

Two. “How do I get him?”

Possible answer: He already has him. Again.

When Jason Garrett was hired as offensive coordinator in 2007 – actually he was just hired, period, before a head coach was named and then the coordinator title came after – he talked about his influences. Payton, who was offensive coordinator when Garrett played in New York, ranked right at the top.

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By Pat Kirwan

The defending champion Saints started 2-0, and then Reggie Bush got hurt. The offense sputtered and New Orleans dropped three of its next five games. It took time to adjust without Bush, but the Saints are now 7-3 and coach Sean Payton expects the dynamic running back to return on Thanksgiving against the Cowboys.

That’s terrific news for the Saints … and bad news for opponents. With Bush back, defensive coordinators around the league can’t be too happy. Whether he’s getting the ball or, even more importantly, being used as a decoy to set up other phases of the offense, he is a problem. A big one.

The first issue is where Bush lines up. He has four alignments on offense and the fifth is as a punt returner. They all tell a different story about what a defense should fear most. Here are the key alignments to keep an eye on as the Saints make a late-season run at the Super Bowl.

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By Pat Yasinskas

Time for a quick look at New Orleans’ 39-19 victory against Seattle.

What it means: Coming out of their bye week, the Saints had an impressive offensive showing as Drew Brees threw four touchdowns and Chris Ivory ran the ball consistently well. That’s a very positive sign for an offense that hadn’t been nearly as explosive as it was last year or earlier in the season. It could mark a turning point and it could be happening at just the right time. The win puts the Saints at 7-3 and very much in contention in the NFC South. Tampa Bay (7-3) and Atlanta (8-2) also won Sunday.

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By Pat Yasinskas

Eric in New Orleans writes: Why are the Saints still getting very little respect as an NFC top-tier team? No one team around the league looks as if it is going to run roughshod over anyone in the playoffs. Let’s be honest. The Saints’ ceiling is probably still the highest in the NFL (talent-wise).

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By Pat Yasinskas

Where they stand: They’re the defending Super Bowl champions, but you wouldn’t know it from listening to their fans, coaches and players. The Saints haven’t been nearly as dominant as last year, when they won their first 13 games. The offense hasn’t been nearly as explosive and the defense hasn’t been as opportunistic. But the fact is, the Saints are 6-3. They’re only a game behind division leader Atlanta in the loss column and no NFC team has won more games than the Saints.

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By Pat Yasinskas

What it means: This game went exactly the way you would expect. The Saints, who haven’t been dominant this season, were dominant. The Panthers, who’ve been pathetic all season, were pathetic and had injuries (quarterback Matt Moore and running back Jonathan Stewart) added to insult.

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Associated Press

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It wasn’t long ago that John Fox was fresh off a trip to the NFC title game and a couple years removed from a Super Bowl appearance as he pushed to get buddy Sean Payton his first head-coaching job with the New Orleans Saints.

Now wearing a Super Bowl ring, Payton is a coaching star. Fox’s fortunes, meanwhile, have plummeted. Denied a contract extension, his Carolina Panthers are among the worst teams in the NFL, and all signs point to this being Fox’s last year with the team.

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