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We all know the Saints, who don’t exactly have a storied history, are off to the best start in franchise history. They’re 10-0 and that already ties them for the fourth-most wins in a season in franchise history

They’ve got a huge game coming up next Monday with New England, and getting to 11-0 would make them the first NFC team to reach that mark since the 1991 Washington Redskins. And we must point out Washington won the Super Bowl that season.

With six regular-season games to go and plenty of room for the Saints to keep climbing, here’s a look at the best seasons in team history.

Here are seven notes and observations from an awful Week 11 in the AFC North:

Drew Hallowell/Getty ImagesThe Steelers should take a long look at free agent quarterback Jeff Garcia.


• If I’m the Pittsburgh Steelers, the first free agent I’m calling this week is quarterback Jeff Garcia. With the status of Ben Roethlisberger (head) up in the air this week and backup Charlie Batch out for the rest of the regular season, the Steelers need a veteran replacement. Although chances are slim that someone can come in and start right away against the Baltimore Ravens, if anyone has a chance, it’s Garcia. It will be interesting to see how Pittsburgh handles this if Roethlisberger isn't healthy enough to return. Would the Steelers really go with Dennis Dixon in a crucial game?
• If Pittsburgh isn’t convinced that drastic changes need to be made ASAP on special teams, I’m not sure they ever will be this season. Pittsburgh has allowed four kickoff returns for touchdowns and two in the past two weeks. These are huge blows in a game. Kansas City Chiefs tailback Jamaal Charles took the opening kickoff to the house in their overtime win over Pittsburgh Sunday, and that play gave Kansas City all the confidence it needed to hang in there and eventually pull off the upset. The Steelers have a wealth of talent, and it's time to take some of those backups and replace them with better players.
• We are getting a lot of e-mails in our AFC North inbox from Cleveland Browns fans regarding the frantic finish in a loss to the Detroit Lions. But the referees got this one right. Cleveland defensive back Hank Poteat clearly committed pass interference on the Hail Mary. Yes, Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford hurt his shoulder with no timeouts, but above all else a game cannot end on a penalty. Another huge mistake was Browns head coach Eric Mangini calling a timeout for an explanation, which allowed Stafford to return and throw the game-winning touchdown. Who knows if an ice cold Daunte Culpepper could have come in and successfully executed that play in the clutch?
• Here is a question for the Cincinnati Bengals: Why is Andre Caldwell returning kickoffs? It's been clear all season that Caldwell is not very good in that role. He dances too much and doesn't hit the hole or run a straight line. Caldwell burned the Bengals again on a kick return with a late fumble that set up the Oakland Raiders' game-winning field goal Sunday. Rookie tailback Bernard Scott was coming into his own in that role following a big touchdown return against the Steelers, and Scott should have been the player returning the final kick despite a lot of carries at tailback. Caldwell is a solid receiver but it's time to give that kickoff return experiment a rest.
• The Bengals also could not rush the passer against Oakland. Journeyman quarterback Bruce Gradkowski threw 31 times and Cincinnati had zero sacks. The Bengals also continued their season-long trend of not defending the tight ends. Oakland tight end Zach Miller led the Raiders with five catches for 65 yards. When you can't pressure the quarterback and constantly leave the middle of the field open that usually results in a loss.
• The replay of Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco’s final interception in a loss the Indianapolis Colts looks like he just decided to throw into triple coverage. But Flacco said he was fooled and never saw Indianapolis linebacker Gary Brackett drop on the backside. Brackett made a heady play by briefly engaging with an offensive lineman and then dropping into the spot where Ravens tailback Ray Rice was heading. According to Brackett, Baltimore ran the play earlier and he recognized the route. Ravens offensive coordinator Cam Cameron also said afterwards that he was fooled by Bracket's decision not to rush the quarterback.
• Let me finish by saying this was the worst weekend of football that I can recall in nearly two seasons covering the division. Three AFC North teams lost to awful opponents in sloppy fashion, and the one possible upset in the division was foiled by poor play in the red zone. I know it's just one Sunday, but group performances like this lead me to believe the AFC North is not as good as I once thought heading down the stretch of the regular season.

Our decision -- OK, my decision -- to establish clear tiebreakers for ESPN.com's Power Rankings didn't convince everyone.

The Saints prevailed over the Colts in the No. 1 spot last week on the fourth tiebreaker: previous ranking.

The first three -- head-to-head results, overall record and which team won most recently -- failed to break the ties.

"Mike, you guys had a tough decision to make, but by your own rules, you've gotten it wrong," Andrew from Indianapolis wrote. "There is no clarification on the scope of this third tiebreaker. The Colts currently have a 18-game regular-season winning streak whereas the Saints lost the last game of the 2008 season. I believe you have some re-ordering to do."

Thanks for the feedback, Andrew, but we cannot un-ring this bell.

The way I read the tiebreaker, both teams won in the previous week and both teams had won every week this season. I wasn't going to dip into last season. The Colts lost in the playoffs. Should that count? I'm comfortable with the tiebreakers as interpreted, even though it's tough to say one team is clearly better than the other at this point.

Let's clarify the third tiebreaker to include which team won most recently this season.

By the way, the chart shows rankings from last week, with Week 11 losers in red. New power rankings appear here Tuesday.

And now, the power rankings revisited ...

The reckoning: Three games featured lower-ranked teams defeating higher-ranked teams:

• (28) Oakland 20, (4) Cincinnati 17. And to think, I almost started Carson Palmer in the NFC West Gridiron Challenge. The Raiders have allowed only eight touchdown passes all season.
• (27) Kansas City 27, (6) Pittsburgh 24 (OT). Todd Haley would have traded this one for a victory over the Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII.
• (16) New York Giants 34, (14) Atlanta 31. Both quarterbacks needed to make big plays, and they did. Eli Manning and Matt Ryan combined for five touchdowns and one interception.

Still to play: (22) Tennessee at (13) Houston on "Monday Night Football."

Homing in: The Browns and Rams both lost at home despite inflicting injuries upon opposing quarterbacks. We should expect nothing less from the only teams without at least one home victory this season.

Rising in defeat: The Redskins? They played the Cowboys tough on the road and nearly won the game.

Northbound in a hurry: The Chargers have won five in a row. The Titans will have won four in a row if they can beat the Texans. The Jaguars, Vikings and Cardinals have each won three in a row, but Minnesota doesn't have much room for improvement in the power rankings. Arizona could challenge for the top five after the Bengals and Steelers lost to weak opponents.

On a roll: The top seven teams in the NFC standings (not the power rankings) have won a combined 21 games in a row (Saints 10, Vikings 3, Cowboys 1, Cardinals 3, Eagles 1, Packers 2, Giants 1).

Free falling: The Bears and Broncos can't find the ripcord, while the Seahawks have been outscored 66-15 since taking a 14-0 lead over the Cardinals in Week 10.

My early favorite for the No. 1 spot: Indianapolis. The Saints are also worthy. What's not to like about teams with 10-0 records?

HOUSTON -- It qualifies as ancient history now, and several Titans didn’t remember the specifics.

But when Vince Young burned a big blitz on a third-and-14 from the Houston 39-yard line on Dec. 10, 2006 for an overtime touchdown, he pulled off a play that symbolized how things can work for him.

The rookie made an electric play and got great blocks from Chris Brown and Bobby Wade who paved the way to the end zone. Part of the reason that path opened, however, was because Young had called a route wrong in the huddle.

The in-cut that was supposed to happen would have likely put a safety in his way to slow him down or change his course. The out-cut that took place instead just happened to clear out some of the space he was able to use.

Center Kevin Mawae worries about the protections, not the routes.

But if it happened that way then, he said he wouldn’t have been surprised. And if it happens that way now, he won’t either.

“What I do remember is they had everybody coming and we knew if we just picked it up and he hit the hole, there is nobody,” Mawae said. “Because if they’re bringing seven guys, three guys are covering receivers, you’ve got one guy out there. And that’s what happened. ...

“He’s that kind of a guy, that’s the thing he brings to us. He has the ability to make everybody look silly on a play that should have never worked in the first place just because of his athletic ability. He’s got the ability to make everybody right when something’s gone wrong.”

Surely the fervor for Young at Reliant Stadium will be different Monday night than it was that day -- those Texans were 4-8, these are 5-4 with a chance at a playoff spot.

Still, he will have plenty of support.

His family will be in a box, some wearing throwback Houston Oiler jerseys with his No. 10. Plenty of Texas alumni and/or fans will still look at him and be reminded of the Rose Bowl performance and resulting national championship for the Longhorns. Others have been following him longer than that, back when he was a kid drawing attention in Houston.

Brian Cushing told me Friday he hadn’t heard much VY buzz in town but expects some, which is understandable based on what the quarterback did for the city and state.

Fans may be more partial to the home team, but a lot will hope Young does well in a loss.

“VY is the mayor of Houston,” Titans fullback Ahmard Hall said. “He thrives in big moments and he’ll have another big moment on Monday night. He’s definitely excited to be the starting quarterback going back there.”

Young played down the mayor idea, saying only that he’s a Houstonian.

That game-winning touchdown sprint at Reliant Stadium ranks behind only the Rose Bowl for him, he said.

“That’s a fairy tale, a dream come true,” he said.

He’s 3-0 since taking over for Kerry Collins, and these Titans feel like a completely different team than the one that lost to the Texans in Week 2.

"Him getting out of the pocket, running an option, running a boot, anything he does, his ability to make big plays running the football adds a big-time dimension that you have to worry about defensively," Texans coach Gary Kubiak said. "They’ve been exceptional at what they’ve been doing ... and protecting the ball extremely well along the way.

Young’s always been a prime-time guy. Can he help mess things up for his hometown team in his first chance under the spotlight in a long time?

The defending champion Pittsburgh Steelers are in a very tough spot at quarterback.

Not only is starter Ben Roethlisberger recovering from a blow to the head in Sunday's overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, but ESPN's Adam Schefter is reporting backup quarterback Charlie Batch will miss the next six weeks with a wrist injury.

That leaves third-stringer Dennis Dixon as the only healthy quarterback currently on Pittsburgh's roster leading into a huge AFC North showdown with the Baltimore Ravens (5-5). Batch reportedly will undergo surgery and miss the rest of the regular season, while Roethlisberger's status is up in the air as he receives further testing.

Pittsburgh could scan the waiver wires to add a healthy body, but there is no chance that player will start against the Ravens. The choices for the Steelers are either Dixon or an ailing Roethlisberger for next week.

Injuries have suddenly put the defending champion's playoffs hopes in jeopardy. Pittsburgh (6-4) currently holds one of the two wild-card spots in the AFC. But ailments to Troy Polamalu, Aaron Smith, Roethlisberger and now Batch could lead to the team's first three-game losing streak of the season.

If you're a Miami Dolphins or New York Jets fan and still harbor hopes your team can make the playoffs, you should be rooting for the Tennessee Titans to knock off the Houston Texans on Monday night.

The Titans are creeping up from behind in the standings, but the Dolphins and Jets desperately need some teams ahead of them to fall back in the pack, and the Texans are one of those.

A Texans loss would move the Dolphins up a spot to ninth in the AFC standings and put them one game behind three teams -- instead of four -- that are tied for the conference's fifth-best record.

Below is an AFC snapshot entering Monday night. Teams are listed by overall record (with division and conference records). The No. 1 tiebreaker divisional and conference standings is head-to-head results, when applicable. After that, ties are broken within the division-by-division record and for the wild card by conference record.

As mentioned before on this blog, don't just look at the records and how many games back a team is. Just as significant is the number of teams it must leapfrog to get into sixth place.

1. Indianapolis Colts 10-0 (3-0, 6-0)
2. Cincinnati Bengals 7-3 (5-0, 5-3)
3. San Diego Chargers 7-3 (4-1, 5-3)
4. New England Patriots 7-3 (3-1, 5-3)
5. Jacksonville Jaguars 6-4 (2-2, 5-2)
6. Pittsburgh Steelers 6-4 (1-2, 4-3)
7. Denver Broncos 6-4 (2-1, 5-3)
8. Houston Texans 5-4 (1-2, 4-3)
9. Baltimore Ravens 5-5 (2-2, 5-4)
10. Miami Dolphins 5-5 (3-1, 3-3)
11. New York Jets 4-6 (1-4, 4-5)
12. Tennessee Titans 3-6 (1-3, 2-6)

The Buffalo Bills are falling apart.

But this post isn't about their fired head coach, bad quarterbacking or personnel blunders.

Their latest bad news is wicked happenstance.

Rookie guard Eric Wood, drafted with the 28th overall pick acquired from the Philadelphia Eagles for Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters, suffered a broken left leg in the fourth quarter of Sunday's loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Wood's gruesome compound fracture was reminiscent of how Lawrence Taylor ended Joe Theismann's career.

Wood was focused on trying to block Jaguars defensive end Derrick Harvey from tackling Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. Jaguars defensive tackle Montavious Stanley was charging from Fitzpatrick's left. Stanley tried to wrap up Fitzpatrick, but his momentum sent him crashing into the unsuspecting Wood.

The impact buckled Wood's lower leg in a place that doesn't bend. He underwent surgery in a Jacksonville hospital and didn't return to Buffalo with the team.

Buffalo's offensive line opened the season inexperienced and loaded with question marks. The tackle positions have been decimated by injuries, but the interior trio -- center Geoff Hangartner and guards Andy Levitre and Wood -- had started every game.

Levitre started Sunday's game at left tackle for the injured Demetrius Bell, with reserve Seth McKinney playing in Levitre's usual left guard spot. McKinney suffered a torn meniscus Sunday. That forced Levitre back to guard and jumbled the line even more.

For the second time this year, they finished the game with no O-line backups.

Eagles running back LeSean McCoy fumbled early in the fourth quarter, but he got a chance to atone for it by running for the game-winning touchdown. McCoy fell victim to one of Charles Tillman's three forced fumbles on the evening after a 17-yard run. But the Eagles blocked Robbie Gould's 48-yard field goal attempt and immediately drove for the winning score.

The game ended with Sean Jones intercepting a Jay Cutler pass. Tracy White caused the interception by reading Cutler's eyes and tipping a ball intended for Bears tight end Greg Olsen. It was a huge win for the Eagles (6-4) because it keeps them tied for second place in the NFC East with the Giants, one game behind the Cowboys.

Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb was 23-of-32 for 244 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. DeSean Jackson had eight catches for 107 yards, including a 48-yard touchdown in the second half. Jackson ran a simple post pattern and used his speed to race past a Bears safety.

With Asante Samuel having to leave the game with a stinger, the Eagles were seriously compromised at cornerback. But the Bears couldn't capitalize. In the fourth quarter, Bears receiver Johnny Knox got behind Sheldon Brown on a fly pattern but Cutler overthrew him.

The Eagles featured a balanced attack on offense with 30 running plays and 32 passes. Given a full week of first-string reps, McCoy had 20 carries for 99 yards and a touchdown. He ran through tackles and he also showed good vision. Jackson and rookie Jeremy Maclin both got it rolling in the second half. Last week, the Eagles' offense waited too late to get going. On Sunday night, the offense showed up just in time. There aren't many players who can stay with Jackson and Maclin, so the Eagles need to find ways to get them involved earlier.

The Eagles need to learn from this game. Jackson and McCoy need to secure the ball -- especially against defensive backs such as Tillman, who's known for stripping the ball. I thought the defense did a good job of staying in Cutler's face. Trent Cole had a sack and he also did a nice job of pursuing plays from behind.

I had sort of forgotten about Jeremiah Trotter, but he did a really nice job against the run, ending up with four tackles. He looked a lot more comfortable in this game. Now the Eagles will host the Redskins before playing the Falcons and Giants.

There's a chance the Eagles and Giants could be 8-4 when they see each other in three weeks. The NFC East lead could be on the line. But first, the Eagles have to take care of business against the Redskins. The Cowboys were outplayed by Washington on Sunday but escaped with a 7-6 win.

I thought safety Quintin Mikell and Brown both had courageous performances. Mikell was in one-on-one coverage more than usual because of all the injuries in the secondary and it was obvious that Brown wasn't himself because of a hamstring injury. Fortunately for the Eagles, Cutler missed wide-open receivers on at least three occasions.

Chicago’s midseason hiccup, along with quarterback Jay Cutler's continuing backslide, has just about ended the competitive portion of the Bears' season.

Sunday night's loss was their third in a row and fifth in their past six games. They’ve fallen to 4-6 after a 3-1 start, their only victory during that stretch coming against 1-9 Cleveland, and stand on the far outskirts of the NFC playoff picture.

Worse, Cutler played what I can only call a self-conscious game in his first appearance since a five-interception performance at San Francisco. He overthrew three passes that would have gone for touchdowns -- one each to Greg Olsen, Johnny Knox and Devin Hester -- and finished with only 171 yards passing despite completing 24 of his 43 attempts.

Cutler telegraphed his only interception of the night, a pass he forced to Olsen on the Bears’ final drive. Overall, he seemed too tentative in response to an overly aggressive stretch of games.

You can only assume that Cutler will eventually work through these issues, but it isn’t likely to come in time to save this season for the Bears.

DENVER -- The San Diego Chargers were in control before the game even started Sunday against the desperate but still cocksure Denver Broncos.

As they did a month ago in San Diego, the Broncos huddled near where the Chargers were warming up. Some Denver players were facing the Chargers and pointing. It appeared as though no San Diego player even noticed the Broncos’ bait job. The Chargers were far more interested in stretching their muscles than their tongues.

On Oct.19, the Chargers were incensed when Denver pulled the same trick on their home field. A shoving match ensued before the Broncos went on to beat the Chargers and take a commanding 3.5-game lead over San Diego in the AFC West.

A lot has changed since then.

“That stuff wasn’t going to work this time,” said San Diego linebacker Shawne Merriman, who was said Denver’s display last month was disrespectful. “We weren’t interested in any of that stuff [Sunday]. We were interested in winning the football game.”

Denver coach Josh McDaniels also got involved in the pregame chatter. He exchanged trash talk (which he told the San Diego Union Tribune that Chargers players started) with some San Diego linebackers. After the game, Chargers linebacker Shaun Phillips called McDaniels “a little cocky [rear end].”

The Broncos had nothing Sunday -- not even effective pregame bravado.

The Chargers completed an amazing month in the division by plastering the Broncos 32-3 on their home field. Denver was completely outclassed by the Chargers, who appear to be the team they were expected to be in the preseason.

“We had it working today,” San Diego safety Eric Weddle said. “We knew what we were playing for.”

The Chargers were playing for power in the AFC West. And they got it. San Diego is 7-3 and leads Denver (6-4) by a game with six to go. The Chargers have an easier schedule down the stretch than the stumbling Broncos, who have to regroup and play host to the New York Giants on Thursday night. San Diego, which is in the hunt to earn a playoff bye, has two games remaining against teams with winning records.

The Chargers are poised to win their fourth straight division title. If they do, it will be the third straight year in which they came from behind to do so. San Diego started 5-5 in 2007 before winning its final six games. Last year, the Chargers became the first team to start 4-8 and make the playoffs as they won their final four games and Denver lost its final three games.

“Same old Chargers,” Weddle said.”This year, we’re starting early.”

The Broncos joined the 2003 Vikings as teams that won their first six games and then lost their next four games. The Vikings finished 9-7 and out of the playoffs that year. No NFL team has ever had a 3.5-game division lead and not made the playoffs.

In no way do the Broncos resemble the team of the first six weeks. The Broncos, who were given a spark by an injured Kyle Orton in the second quarter, were careless on offense (they lost two fumbles in San Diego territory, one coming in the end zone) and are worn down on defense. Denver had no pass rush against the Chargers and was riddled again on the ground as San Diego had 203 yards rushing.

“The plays that we were making when we were 6-0 we are no longer making,” Denver defensive end Vonnie Holliday said. “We have to regroup.”

The Chargers entered the game knowing they had the Broncos where they wanted them.

“We knew if we played the way we are capable, that we’re a better football team,” Weddle said. “We showed them that today.”

From the pregame warm-ups forward.

Rivers light up Denver again: After the loss last month, San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers was back to his dominant self against the Broncos. He has won six of his last eight meetings against Denver.

According to ESPN Stats and Information, Rivers has completed at least 60 percent of his pass attempts against Denver in the past eight games. In his past six games against Denver, Rivers has 12 touchdown passes and one interception.

Rivers was a tidy 17-of-22 for 145 yards against Denver. He had one touchdown pass and no interceptions. He made every play he needed to as the Chargers cruised after taking a 13-0 lead at the half. Rivers completed 13-of-14 passes in the first half.

Orton shows toughness: The question, privately, in the San Diego locker room was why Denver didn’t start Orton. He didn’t start because of a badly sprained ankle. But after backup Chris Simms -- who played poorly in the second half at Washington last week in a loss that may haunt Denver -- was ineffective, Orton was put in with the Broncos down 13-0.

He completed his first three passes and led Denver to the goal line, where rookie running back Knowshon Moreno lost a fumble in the end zone. Had Denver scored there, it would have had all the momentum.

Orton finished the game and was 15-of-29 for 171 yards. The Broncos hope he can play against the Giants.

McDaniels said Orton didn’t start because Simms had all the practice reps last week and Orton wasn’t fully healthy.

“Give Orton credit,” Weddle said. “He showed a lot of toughness and he played pretty well.”

Broncos squabble on the sideline: Denver receiver Brandon Marshall got into Moreno’s face after his fumble at the goal line. Moreno, a rookie, responded by shoving the four-year veteran. Moreno tried to go after Marshall on the sideline and had to be restrained by teammates.

“It was frustrating,” Marshall said. “Those are plays that kind of kill drives and we need to punch it in next time.”

McDaniels downplayed the altercation.

“We’ve got a lot of emotional players on our team,” McDaniels said. “Obviously, we don’t want it make scenes or problems for ourselves on the sideline. There are a lot of things that happen on the sideline that involve emotion.”