Starting safety Darren Sharper has been outstanding this season for the Saints.  He has played in all six games for them this season and he has 22 tackles, 8 passes defensed, 1/2 a sack and 6 interceptions.  The amazing thing about his interceptions is that he has a stunning 317 yards (52.8 avg) in return yardage and he has scored 3 TDs.  Sharper is the best playmaker on the defense and he will be heading directly to the Pro Bowl when this season is over as long as he can stay healthy.

This game will likely be much closer than the “experts” think.  The Falcons will likely try to get Michael Turner started in this game as he is having an off year.  The Saints are allowing 92.3 yards rushing per game and 4.0 yards per carry so Turner could have some success if the Falcons stick to the running game to try to control the clock.  More than likely though this game will turn into a shootout and the Falcons have the weapons to trade punches with the Saints.  Tony Gonzalez, Roddy White and Michael Jenkins have the speed to stretch the field and Matt Ryan has only been sacked six times this season so he will likely have time to throw the ball downfield.  Ryan must account for wherever Darren Sharper of the Saints is because he has six interceptions this season (3 pick sixes).

The Saints will likely run the ball quite a bit in this game with Mike Bell, Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush against a Falcons’ D that is allowing 117.7 yards rushing per game and 4.6 yards per carry.  The Saints will also be throwing the ball down the field to Marques Colston, Lance Moore and Devery Henderson.  Drew Brees will also be targeting TE Jeremy Shockey on shorter passes over the middle giving him some working room.  The Falcons allow 250.7 yards passing per game so Drew Brees should have a good game.

PREDICTION:  SAINTS 33, FALCONS 30

The Saints have signed 27-year old fullback Kyle Eckel.  Eckel played in 5 games last season for the Eagles in which he carried the ball 24 times for 79 yards (3.3 ypc).  In two years in the NFL, Eckel has played in 17 games in which he has carried the ball 57 times for 169 yards (3.0 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He has also caught 1 pass for 6 yards in his career.  Eckel is not as good as Heath Evans but he should be able to help out the Saints on offense.

The Saints have lost starting fullback Heath Evans for the rest of the season due to a torn ACL in his right knee.  The 30-year old Evans played in 6 games for the Saints this season and he carried the ball 5 times for 16 yards (3.2 ypc) with a TD.  He also caught 10 passes for 70 yards (7.0 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  This will hurt the Saints’ offense as Evans was a good blocker and pass catcher out of the backfield.

The New Orleans Saints (6-0) looked like they were going to get their first loss of the season against the Miami Dolphins (2-4), but Drew Brees led the Saints to an exciting comeback.  The Saints were down 34-24 heading into the fourth quarter, after the Dolphins and their great running game controlled the game.  The Dolphins had built a 24-3 lead in the second quarter but the Saints were able to cut the lead down to 24-10, after a gutsy call for Drew Brees to QB sneak from the one-yard line payed off with 2 seconds left in the half.  Darren Sharper started the half off great for the Saints, picking off Chad Henne and returning it 42 yards for a touchdown.

The game turned into a shootout late in the 3rd quarter.  The Saints offense was able to continue that play into the 4th quarter, and the Dolphins were not.  They were too much for the Dolphins to handle, as they had three touchdowns and a field goal in the 4th quarter, while the Dolphins were held scoreless in the final quarter and the Saints held on for the win.  Drew Brees had uncharacteristic three interception game, but he never lost his confidence and led them to the win.  They got a lot of production out of the running game with Mike Bell and Pierre Thomas combining for 110 yards on 20 carries (5.5 avg), as well as Reggie Bush adding 10 yards and a touchdown on three carries.  The Saints finally looked human in this game, but they showed their resiliency and proved they can come from behind to win.  They are at home against the Atlanta Falcons next game.

The New Orleans Saints (5-0) are on the road Sunday against the Miami Dolphins (2-3).  The Saints have proven themselves to be one the top teams in the league, but that doesn’t mean this game will be a cakewalk.  The Dolphins and their Wildcat offense has been causing problems for defenses across the league.  They are averaging 177 rushing yards per game and teams still have not figured out how to completely stop the Wildcat.  If the Saints can slow down the Wildcat, it will be an easy win for them.

The Dolphins Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams lead the attack in the Wildcat, with the two running backs combining for 759 yards and eight touchdowns on 4.9 yards per carry.  Chad Henne has also proven himself to be a very capable quarterback in this league and is 2-0 as a starter.  I don’t think he will have the success he had in his previous two starts though.  Drew Brees and the Saints offense will be able to do their thing against the Dolphins defense that has not faced anyone near as explosive as the Saints’ offense.  They have three headed running attack with Pierre Thomas, Reggie Bush, and Mike Bell.  Both defenses are going to have a tough time stopping each others’ running attack, but the Saints have way more weapons so they should be able to outscore the Dolphins.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  New Orleans Saints 31, Miami Dolphins 20

The New Orleans Saints dominated this football game from the opening whistle taking the Giants out of their gameplan early.  Drew Brees was awesome for the Saints in this game as he completed 23 of 30 passes for 369 yards with 4 TD passes and 0 interceptions for a QB Rating of 156.8.  Marques Colston had a monster game for the Saints yesterday with 8 catches for 166 yards (20.8 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Lance Moore (6 rec, 78 yards), Robert Meachem (2 rec, 70 yards) and Jeremy Shockey (4 rec, 37 yards) each also caught 1 TD apiece in this game.  After the Saints got the lead they started to grind the game out on the ground.  Pierre Thomas was the leading rusher in this game for the Saints with 72 yards on 15 carries (4.8 ypc).  Mike Bell only rushed for 34 yards on 15 carries (2.3 ypc) with 1 TD run for the Saints.  Reggie Bush pitched in with 17 yards rushing on 6 carries (2.8 ypc) with 1 TD run and he also caught 1 pass for 7 yards.  Fullback Heath Evans only carried the ball 1 time in this game but it went for a 2-yard TD and he also caught 1 pass for 5 yards.  The Saints finished up with 493 total yards on offense (133 rushing, 360 passing) in this game as they possessed the ball for 36:07.

CB Jabari Greer (5 tackles, INT, 2 passes defensed), LB Scott Shanle (5 tackles, fumble recovery) and S Roman Harper (5 tackles, 1 sack, 1 pass defensed and 1 QB hit) led the way for the Saints on defense.  The Giants finished up with 325 total yards on offense in this game (84 rushing, 241 passing).  The Saints are now 5-0 on the season.

Both of these teams are undefeated coming into this game as the Giants are 5-0 while the Saints are 4-0.  These teams are very similar in style so this should be a great game to watch on Sunday.  Eli Manning didn’t finish what he started against the Raiders last Sunday as he sat out the 2nd half to rest his injured foot.  They will likely need him to play the whole game on Sunday if the Giants are to win this game.  The Saints are only allowing 83.3 yards rushing per game and 3.7 yards per carry but they have not played a team with near the caliber of running game that will face them on Sunday.  Brandon Jacobs (355 yards rushing) and Ahmad Bradshaw (375 yards rushing) will be banging away against the Saints’ D who better bring their A-game.  The Saints will be blitzing a lot in this game as they have 10 sacks this season but Giants’ QBs have only been sacked 4 times this season.  If the Saints can’t get to Manning they will be in some trouble as he has three quality WRs in Steve Smith, Mario Manningham and Hakeem Nicks.  The Saints’ D has 10 interceptions already this season and opposing QBs have a 51.3 Rating!

The Saints have moved away from just letting Drew Brees throw all of the time.  They actually look a lot like the Giants on offense.  The Giants are allowing 105.8 yards rushing per game and 4.8 yards per carry so look for the Saints to attack them on the ground with Pierre Thomas, Mike Bell and Reggie Bush.  If the Saints can get a running game going that will slow the Giants’ pass rush a bit as they have 14 sacks already this year.  The Saints’ O-Line has been fantastic this season as they only have given up 4 sacks so it will be interesting to see if the Giants will get near Drew Brees.  If he has time to throw the ball WRs Devery Henderson and Marques Colston could get deep.  But the matchup to really watch is TE Jeremy Shockey against his old team.

PREDICTION:  SAINTS 24, GIANTS 20

The Saints were a passing team last season but this year they are a much more balanced team right now on offense and it’s making them really unstoppable.  Mike Bell, Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush have all been outstanding this season.  First up was Mike Bell who carried the load early this season for the Saints while Thomas was injured.   Bell has carried the ball 45 times for 229 yards (5.1 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Almost on cue, Bell injured himself when Thomas returned from injury.  Thomas has been awesome this season for the Saints as he has carried the ball 33 times for 212 yards (6.4 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  He has also caught 5 passes for 42 yards (8.4 avg) this season.  Reggie Bush is the change of pace back for the Saints.  He has carried the ball 36 times for 148 yards (4.1 ypc) with 1 TD run and he has also caught 14 passes for 121 yards (8.6 avg).  The Saints are lucky to have depth like this at RB which means they are likely to sustain success on the ground all season long.  The Saints have averaged 166.3 yards rushing per game and 5.0 yards per carry and if they keep that up the Saints might be playing in the Super Bowl.

The New Orleans Saints have proved they can win in more than one way, and it was their defense that won them their game Sunday against the New York Jets.  Darren Sharper led the way for the Saints’ defense and his great play was recognized by the league, as he was named the NFC Player of the Week.  In the win over the Jets, Sharper picked off Jets’ quarterback Mark Sanchez twice.  Sharper returned his first interception 99-yards for a touchdown, a Saint’s club record.  Sharper also led the team in tackles with eight.  Sharper is having a great year so far as he already has five interceptions (two of which he returned for touchdowns), 14 tackles, and five pass deflections.