SmashMouth

1. New Orleans Saints

The Saints have captivated viewers nationwide with their two-headed backfield and bevy of weapons available to future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees. For the first time in four years, the Saints won't finish 7-9, not by a long shot. And while Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram have plenty to do with that (Michael Thomas, too). But as always, it starts with the offensive line.

New Orleans waved goodbye to a veteran mainstay in guard Jahri Evans, replaced him with free-agent signing Larry Warford and drafted Ryan Ramczyk out of Wisconsin with the last pick of the first round. Even more impressive, the Saints weathered multiple shufflings of its starting five, moving Ramczyk from left to right tackle after Zach Strief was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury, and replacing Ramczyk with Terron Armstead. Senio Kelemete has also seen time in the lineup intermittently. All the while, the Saints haven't missed a beat, bullying opponents in the rushing and passing game.

We took a week to break down what works for them in mid-November. Nothing has changed since. New Orleans' offensive line is so effective, it even stands out to the average viewer, who is more focused on the location of the ball than large men moving other large men. It's also contributed to the league's fifth-ranked rushing and passing offenses, which, when combined, is the NFL's second best total offense at 395.7 yards per game. When healthy, it's a machine that starts up front and doesn't relent until it's found the end zone. Watch out.

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