The New Orleans Saints (11-0) made a big statement with their big win over the New England Patriots (7-4) Monday night.  The Saints pretty much proved they are the best team in football, as the undefeated Colts got an almost lucky one-point win over the Patriots a few weeks ago.  The Saints didn’t need luck and won by 20 more points than the Colts did against the Pats.  Drew Brees played the quarterback position about as good as you can play it against the Patriots, throwing for 371 yards and 5 touchdowns on 18/23 passes.  He completely outplayed Tom Brady, who finished with no touchdowns and 2 interceptions while only passing for 237 yards on 21/36 passes.  Pierre Thomas and Mike Bell ran the ball well for the running game, which was without the electric Reggie Bush.

The Saints offense were not the only ones to make a statement in this win, because the defense played great as well.  Not only did they keep Tom Brady out of the endzone and intercepted him twice, but they pretty much shut down Wes Welker.  Brady and Welker have been ripping apart secondaries, but the Saints held Welker to a season low 36 receiving yards on 6 catches.  They also held Randy Moss to only 3 catches.  The Pats did get 122 rushing yards as a team, but it was a good effort overall by the defense and the Saints have now proved they are playing at an elite level.

The New Orleans Saints (10-0) are hosting the dangerous New England Patriots (7-3) on Monday night in what should be one of the most exciting games of the regular season.  The Patriots are the only team to go 16-0 in the regular season, and they want to keep it that way.  If the Saints win, they have a great shot and tying that record as the Dallas Cowboys would be the toughest opponent left for them.  Drew Brees and the Saints’ offense should be able to have success against the Patriots, but the Patriots do have a solid defense.  Brees should be able to eclipse the 187 yard average that the Pats’ defense is holding opponents to, but he will need that running attack to continue to do what they do.  The Patriots are giving up 109 rushing yards per game, so Pierre Thomas, Mike Bell, and Reggie Bush should find success.  Field goals are not going to cut it in this matchup though, so they need to make sure they get into the endzone.

The Patriots offense can be just as good if not better than the Saints’ offense at times.  The Saints can’t guard Wes Welker in single coverage all game, as Brady finds him too easily when he is in single coverage.  It’s almost like picking your poison though, because when Wes Welker gets too much attention it opens up the long ball for Randy Moss.  The Patriots are going to put up some points, so the Saints’ offense is going to need to stay on top of their game.  This one looks like it is going to be an offensive battle, and it may come down to who has the ball last.  I think the Patriots are going to put an end to the Saints’ undefeated season though, as they want to stay the only team in NFL history with a 16-0 regular season record.  I see it coming down to a late field goal.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  New Orleans Saints 31, New England Patriots 34

The Saints have signed 33-year old CB Mike McKenzie.  McKenzie played in 7 games for the Saints last season and he had 22 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 3 passes defensed and 1 interception.  McKenzie has now played in 133 games in his major league career and he has 470 tackles, 120 passes defensed, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble and 27 interceptions (4 returned for TDs).  This was a good move for the Saints who really have been ransacked by injuries in the secondary.

The Saints have lost 27-year old back up CB Leigh Torrence for the season due to a separated shoulder.  He played in 5 games for the Saints this year and he made 10 tackles and 1/2 a sack.  This further depletes the depth of the secondary of the Saints.

The Bucs scored first in this game and that appeared to piss the Saints off as they beat them up the rest of the game.  Drew Brees was very effective today completing 19 of 29 passes for 187 yards with 3 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Pierre Thomas was awesome today with 11 carries for 92 yards (8.4 ypc) and he also caught 3 passes for 11 yards (3.7 avg).  Mike Bell was also very effective for the Saints today with 13 carries for 75 yards (5.8 ypc) with 2 TD carries.  Marques Colston led the way in the passing game for the Saints with 5 grabs for 74 yards (14.8 avg).  Back up TE David Thomas also had a nice game with 4 catches for 66 yards (16.5 avg) with a TD grab.  WR Robert Meachem only caught 2 passes for 10 yards but they both went for TDs.  The Saints finished up with 370 total yards on offense (183 rushing, 187 passing) today.

The defense baffled rookie QB Josh Freeman and the Bucs’ offense today.  CB Malcolm Jenkins led the way for the Saints today with 7 tackles, 2 passes defensed and 1 interception.  Jonathan Vilma pitched in with 6 tackles, 1 pass defensed, 1 QB hit and 1 interception.  The Buccaneers finished up with only 219 total yards on offense (119 rushing, 100 passing) today.  The Saints are now 10-0 on the year.