Well, listen, I know everybody's gonna say the Saints, but for me, it's the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Still, because it regardless of them, getting romped and stomped the way that they did last night with Brady looking like straight garbage and Bruce Areas, Byron Leftwich and tar balls not really looking much better.

The reality is that I expect the Tampa Bay Buccaneers toe look significantly better, particularly, is Antonio Brown gets up in the mix.

Or remember that when you look at the New Orleans Saints last night, I think I I don't know whether it was generous Jenkins, whoever it was, But they had him going everywhere that Antonio Brown went last night and then Marcus Lattimore, obviously not him And no Mike Evans having somewhat of a truculent relationship.

If you listen to the report, they had him following Mike Evans around everywhere.

Mike Evans just had about four receptions for about 64 yards, and clearly hey, didn't seem like himself.

This is a guy that didn't perform against the Saints in the opener as well.

You gotta anticipate that those things won't continue toe happen.

I'm looking at Chris Godwin, who obviously could ball, but in the same breath, he was somebody that they did to do something.

Maybe it was a split it figure or whatever the case may be, but they didn't seem to be fearful of him.

That's not going to continue.

And you saw Rob Gronkowski dropping pass in the end zone that he almost would never drop.

I don't think something like that's gonna continue.

I don't think you're gonna see the Tampa Bay Buccaneers run the football five times an entire game.

I don't think that will continue.

I don't think you'll see them getting a 14 and 21 28 point holes.

So as a result of that, I think that last night was an extreme aberration.

I think that once the playoff time comes, I'm able to look at the New Orleans Saints and I'm able to say Okay, you know the Stefon Diggs miracles Cat pass catching TV run three years ago.

You follow that up with the with the pass interference.

There was no pass interference call and then last year you lose the Kirk cousins in Minnesota.

I just get the impression that New Orleans had its chance.

I think this is Tampa Bay's chance, and I think that Tampa Bay will elevate and shine.

When all is said and done in the NFC, the answer is the New Orleans Saints.

They should be the favorites in the NFC at this moment.

Preseason.

I like the Saints, then the Jamal Adams trade happened to the for, the Seahawks said.

I think maybe the Seahawks inched ahead of them.

They're on Ben.

We've seen the Packers and the Bucks.

Look, you know, alternately really good so far this season, at different times.

The Bucks.

You make a good case, Stephen A like they got a lot of stuff and they got Antonio Brown.

And you expect sometimes take one step back before you take to forward when you're integrating a giant new piece on the offense.

Um, but teams changeover times.

Let's see what happens when Jamal get Adams, gets back fully healthy and integrated onto the defense, right when back T Erry comes back to help out Aaron Rodgers and pass protection all those things.

Same thing with the Bucks and maybe same thing with the Saints with now, with Michael Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders back the differences.

The Saints when you look on paper, preseason had the continuity.

The quarterback in recent years, the run defense that other dynamic offenses lacked around the league.

When you looked at the Chiefs a couple years ago, where teams like that, he said, Well, they have the offense.

But can they stop the run when they need to?

The Saints look a little bit better set up that way.

The thing that they were missing, all world running back, all world receiver, all world, obviously quarterback was the number two receiver.

They picked that up in Emmanuel Sanders, but they really haven't had their full complement off players yet this season.

And they picked up Kwon.

Alexander is a good linebacker, um, to buttress the defense.

So not on Lee.

Are they coming off a very impressive win where they really haven't fully integrated their pieces yet.

But on paper, they look like the best or one of the two best.

And they're just coming off a statement when they've swept the season series against their divisional rivals and for the first time, have the thing that they were missing on offense when you look at it, considering how they're playing and what they have, I'd have to say at this moment, the Saints are the favorite in the NFC medicine.

I was on the Tampa Bay train and and and here's why.

I was because I said, I thought to myself, The Saints will be better than Tampa Bay at the beginning of the season and then Tampa Bay will continue.

Thio ascend as they get the chemistry as they start toe come together and they will be the best team.

But Tampa Bay is kind of riding this roller coaster, and so then I look back at the Saints and I start to think, Why did I believe that they would win the NFC South in the beginning of the season?

It wasn't actually because of the offense.

It was because I thought they would have a championship level defense.

I thought that Malcolm Jenkins would come over and be very good and covering tight ends.

I thought that outside generous Jenkins and Marshawn Lattimore would be excellent one in two corners and that they had a very good nickel and C J.

Garner Johnson.

We obviously knew what the front was.

We know DeMario Davis is all pro.

And so But as the season was going alone, they weren't playing defense.

And then you saw them Kind of like, eek out wins over teams that we didn't really consider very good.

And obviously, they had the two losses early on in the season.

And so now you go back and you look at that.

You say, Yeah, they eked out a win over Chicago in Chicago, but that same Chicago team beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

And then you go back and you look at the loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, which was ugly.

It was in prime time.

It was on Monday Night football.

You know, you couldn't necessarily believe that the Raiders look so good against New Orleans Saints.

And now looking at the Raiders at five and three, you say, You know what?

That's not a bad loss.

And then Aaron Rodgers is cooking and and and they get beat 37 30.

And you say, Well, Aaron Rodgers is one of the top teams and so I look at the NFC and I think to myself the two best teams.

When you look on paper And when you see what the season is going, you would think that they probably are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New Orleans Saints.

And when I look at those two things, two teams, one thing stands out.

They've played two times.

And in New Orleans, Saints have won both times.

And honestly, the first game was actually closer and score than it was on the field.

And you do look at Mike Thomas coming back.

You see Emmanuel Sanders coming back and what they add to this passing game, and then you realize they probably have the best all around back in football.

And that's including Christian McCaffrey in Alvin Kamara.

And when the team plays like they played last night, right?

Not this team that doesn't push the ball down the field.

Not this team that doesn't get the stops when they rush the passer the way they do when they force turnovers the way they did last night.

When Drew Brees gets an opportunity to sit in the pocket and pick apart zone defense is, but they can't be stopped.

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