National media outlet blatantly refuses to give the Saints any credit after Week 1 win over Panthers

The New Orleans Saints did what a good team would do in Week 1. They beat a bad team by a large margin. Should it be taken with a dash of salt because they played arguably the worst team in football in the Carolina Panthers? Sure.

At the same time, a 37-point win where your starting offense was not forced to punt is nothing to scoff at or overlook. Not to mention, the defense dominated at every turn as well.

A national media outlet for the NFL is trying their best to completely overlook the Saints still, though.

ProFootballTalk ranks Saints at 23 after Week 1

Placing New Orleans at 23 is one thing. That part does not really makes sense when you see a handful of the teams ahead of them.

Further than that, PFT moved the Saints up one spot after beating the 32nd-ranked team by 37 points. PFT moved the Tampa Bay Buccaneers up three spots in the top ten after beating the 27th-ranked team by 17 points.

That math simply does not work. They continue to let their preconceived negative notions around the Saints sway them even after an almost-flawless season opener.

NFL on FOX ranks Saints at 21 after Week 1

This ranking gives New Orleans a bit more credit. The Saints began the season ranked 28th by the outlet. That was too low, too, but alas.

NFL on FOX, at the least, did see enough from the Saints in Week 1 to move them up seven spots.

That makes a lot more sense when you consider the teams ahead and behind them. You can probably argue they belong in the top fifteen, but yes, it has only been one week of play.

The Saints will receive a true barometer for their potential in Week 2 when they face the Dallas Cowboys in Texas. It's an NFC showdown with both teams coming off blowout victories in Week 1.

Related: Pat McAfee reacts to New Orleans Saints' huge win over Carolina Panthers in Week 1