So much time has passed since the New Orleans Saints became the best story in the NFL it’s hard to remember their miraculous rise. That came back in the fall of 2006 just a year after Hurricane Katrina tore the roof off their Superdome and filled the city with so much water that many wondered if New Orleans would be the same again. But as the politicians failed and the government failed and the utilities failed, the football team that once broke their fans’ hearts actually came through.

The dreadful Saints, the forever losing Saints, the always-aggravating Saints returned from purgatory in San Antonio. They rode the genius of a brilliant young coach, Sean Payton, and a rejuvenated quarterback, Drew Brees, all the way to the 2006 NFC Championship Game and then they kept building to a Super Bowl win three seasons later. With a fabulous offense and a gambling defense they seemed poised to win more trophies.

Then they didn’t. The defense failed, and then came Bountygate and Payton’s year-long suspension and a whole lot of 7-9 seasons during which Brees threw for a lot of yards and the Saints defense couldn’t stop anybody. As the old stars left and Brees grew to be 38 it appeared New Orleans was finished as any kind of contender.

Except, suddenly this year happened and the Saints have discovered something in Brees’s sunset they never had in his prime: a defense. And more than halfway through this season their 7-2 record raises a once-improbable question: Are the New Orleans Saints the best team in the NFL?

They might just be. Even 2009’s Super Bowl winner relied heavily on Brees’s arm and a defense that gave up tons of yards while laying out big hits and hoping that they could get enough turnovers to supplement the booming offense. This team, though, actually stops opponents. They may not have the huge statistical dominance of other good defensive teams but after starting 0-2 they have won seven straight and in five of those wins they have allowed 13 points or fewer. They are becoming very good at keeping teams from doing what they want.

Sunday’s 47-10 victory at Buffalo may have been the Saints most impressive victory yet. Their defense held the Bills to just 198 yards and drove quarterback Tyrod Taylor from the game after he completed only nine passes for 56 yards.

That alone makes this unit unlike Payton’s teams of the past. As Brees has aged, New Orleans have pounded teams with a relentless running attack. And that looks nothing like the team that used to throw and throw and throw as the points rolled up. On Sunday, both Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara ran for more than 100 yards and together they had four touchdowns. Brees only had 184 yards passing.

“We came out and we wanted to impose our will,” Kamara told reporters after the game.

Make no mistake, this is still Brees’s team. He is playing one of his most efficient seasons and remains near the top of the list of the NFL’s top passers this season. He has grown into more of a game-manager but the best quarterbacks adapt. As do the best coaches. And while this might not be a stereotypical Sean Payton team tearing up the NFC South, he may be doing one of his best coaching jobs yet.

And the Saints may be about to become the NFL’s best story once more.

Quote of the week

The 49ers celebrated a rare victory on Sunday. Photograph: Thearon W Henderson/Getty Images

“It felt good, it felt real good” – San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan

The Niners finally won their first game this season and the young head coach who many believe will become a top offensive mind like his father also got his first NFL victory. The wait must have felt endless. San Francisco came into Sunday’s game against the New York Giants 0-9 with what is supposed to be a rebuilding team. But as woeful as the 49ers have been this season they may have found a team even worse. The Giants look lost.

San Francisco quarterback CJ Beathard threw for 298 yards and Carlos Hyde ran for 98 as the Niners trampled the Giants’ defense for 474 yards. As a result, New York dropped to 1-8 despite a good game from quarterback Eli Manning who fought off rumors he may lose his job with two touchdown passes and no interceptions.

The Niners’ pleasure in victory was dampened by the death of wide receiver Marquise Goodwin’s son earlier on Sunday. A visibly emotional Goodwin was surrounded by team-mates after scoring an 83-yard touchdown in the first quarter.

Fantasy player of the week

Matthew Stafford is having one of the best seasons of his career. Photograph: Raj Mehta/USA Today Sports

Matthew Stafford. The Lions quarterback doesn’t always get the credit he deserves mainly because the Lions always seem to be stumbling over themselves. Still, Stafford, who already is in his ninth season, is quietly one of the league’s better passers. On Sunday, the Lions struggled to beat the hapless Cleveland Browns but Stafford was brilliant when he needed to be.

He threw for 249 yards in Detroit’s 38-24 victory and also had three touchdowns against one interception. He finished with a passer rating of 118.9. This may be Stafford’s best season as he has already thrown for just under 2,500 yards and 17 touchdowns with just five interceptions. He has to be considered part of the conversation for the top NFC offensive player even if it is hard to see the Lions, at 5-4, passing Minnesota for the NFC North title.

Stat of the week

12. The number of receptions Jacksonville tight end Marcedes Lewis has this season – all of which have come in Jaguars wins. It is a strange statistical pattern to say the least but, by now, the Jags must be elated when a ball lands in Lewis’s hands. He has caught passes in five of Jacksonville’s six victories this year, failing to grab one only in their season-opening win over Houston. On Sunday, he caught two balls, including a key first-down pass in the second half, helping the Jags beat the Chargers 20-17 in overtime.

Lewis, who was once a big star for Jacksonville, is less of a key player now. In fact, he might be more a talisman than an offensive threat but he’s played a role in the Jags’ sudden rise toward the playoffs. Sunday’s win was probably the most-unlikely for Jacksonville, who seemed certain to lose until a field goal just before the end of regulation tied the game at 17-17. Another field goal won the game for the Jaguars, who remained tied for first in the AFC South with Tennessee.

Video of the week

Adam Thielen + teammates with awesome TD celebration! pic.twitter.com/0T7aCzVNkH — Melissa Jacobs (@thefootballgirl) November 12, 2017

What a wonderful opportunity the NFL wasted for years by banning players from celebrating touchdowns. So much creativity squandered. Week-after-week NFL receivers provide us with splendid displays in stadium end zones. Take Sunday in Landover, Maryland, for instance.

As the Minnesota Vikings leapfrogged over Washington in the second quarter of their 38-30 victory Adam Theilen and his fellow Minnesota receivers decided to leapfrog each other. It tuned out to be the ultimate leapfrog as the Vikings kept scoring and scoring and then held on for the win. While it appears Minnesota are headed to a certain NFC North title, they do not seem certain about a quarterback. Case Keenum has filled in brilliantly for the injured Sam Bradford. But he let Washington back in Sunday’s game with interceptions on back-to-back throws.

Teddy Bridgewater, who was once the Vikings quarterback of the future before his gruesome injury before last season, is healthy. Could Bridgewater be the one to lead them through January?

Elsewhere around the league

--The New England Patriots aren’t quite the unbeaten team that some predicted they would be this season but they have now won five in a row and were in ominous form coming off their bye week. The Denver Broncos were the victims on Sunday as the Pats travelled to Colorado and came away with a 41-16 win. Tom Brady threw for three touchdowns and was comfortable enough for Brian “The New Jimmy Garoppolo” Hoyer to come on and toss a few passes. Denver are now a worrying 3-6 and Brock Osweiler does not look like a starting quarterback.

--Pittsburgh continues to grind out victories, beating Indianapolis 20-17. The Steelers trailed 17-3 midway through the third quarter before scoring 17 straight points, including the winning field goal, which came as time expired. The victory gave the 7-2 Steelers a commanding lead in a weak AFC North.

--The Green Bay Packers won their first game without Aaron Rodgers as they beat Chicago 23-16. Rodgers replacement, Brett Hundley completed only 18 passes but threw one touchdown and was not intercepted as the Bears fell despite what was easily rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky’s best game.

--The Rams are now an amazing 7-2 and Jared Goff continues to look like an excellent choice as a first overall pick in 2016. He had 355 passing yards and three touchdowns in a 33-7 defeat of Houston.