The Saints beat the Buccaneers 38-7 in Tampa earlier this season and there is no reason to think the Bucs can put up a fight in this game.  The Saints want to run a balanced attack this week against a Bucs’ D that allows 158.9 yards rushing per game an 203.9 yards passing per contest.  They should be able to achieve that goal by splitting up carries between Pierre Thomas, Reggie Bush and Mike Bell.  The Bucs’ secondary is pretty weak so look for Drew Brees to get the ball to Marques Colston, Devery Henderson and Robert Meachem down the field.

Defensively the Bucs are a sight for sore eyes for a Saints’ D that has struggled lately.  The Bucs probably want to run the ball with Derrick Ward and Cadillac Williams but that doesn’t scare the Saints too much.  The Saints will likely double cover Antonio Bryant and keep close tabs on Kellen Winslow in the passing game.  Look for the secondary to follow Josh Freeman’s eyes as they almost always show where he is going with the football.

PREDICTION:  SAINTS 38, BUCCANEERS 0

The Saints are putting their faith in 23-year old kicker Garrett Hartley after the release of John Carney.  Hartley has played in 3 games for the Saints this season and he has connected on 7 of 8 field goals (87.5%) and 7 of 8 extra points this season good for 28 points.  He has now played in 11 games in parts of two years for the Saints and he has made 20 of 21 field goals (95.2%) and 35 of 36 extra points good for 95 points.  Hartley is a good kicker so he will likely reward the Saints’ faith in him the rest of the year.

The Saints have released 45-year old kicker John Carney.  Carney played in 11 games for the Saints this season and he made 13 of 17 field goals (76.5%) and 50 of 52 extra points good for 89 points.  If  this is the end of Carney’s career he has had quite a good one.  He has played in 298 games in his NFL career and he has connected on 473 of 574 field goals (82.4%) and 625 of 635 extra points good for 2,044 career points. 

The Saints fell behind 24-3 in the first three quarters before they started to show life in the 4th quarter but it was too little too late to keep their perfect season alive.  Drew Brees completed 29 of 45 passes for 298 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT.  But, he also lost two fumbles which really hurt the Saints last night.  Reggie Bush led the Saints in rushing despite only getting 1 carry (29 yards).  He also caught 2 passes for 17 yards (8.5 avg).  Pierre Thomas didn’t have his usual workload  either as he carried the ball 6 times for 20 yards (3.3 ypc) and he also caught 5 passes for 50 yards (10.0 avg).  Mike Bell pitched in with 8 yards rushing on 4 carries (2.0 ypc) with a TD run.  Marques Colston led the way in the passing game for the Saints last night with 5 grabs for 86 yards (17.2 avg).  TE David Thomas stepped up to grab 8 passes for 77 yards (9.6 avg) with Jeremy Shockey out due to injury.  The Saints finished up with 336 total  yards (65 rushing, 271 passing) on offense in this game as they only had possession of the ball for 23:34.

Jonathan Vilma led a poor effort by the Saints’ D with 14 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 pass defensed, 1 sack and 2 QB hits.  Fellow linebacker Scott Fujita pitched in with 10 tackles and 1 QB hit and safety Darren Sharper pitched in with 10 tackles.  The Cowboys finished up with 439 total yards on offense (145 rushing, 294 passing) in this game.  The Saints are now 13-1 on the season.

The Cowboys are a desperate team and they are the Saints’ biggest threat to a 16-0 regular season.  With OLB DeMarus Ware either out or gimpy with a neck injury that means that Drew Brees should have time to throw the ball against a Cowboys’ D that is allowing 229.2 yards passing per game.  Look for Brees to spread the ball around to Marques Colston, Devery Henderson, Robert Meachem, Jeremy Shockey and Reggie Bush to keep the troops happy tomorrow.  The Saints will also run the ball ass they are averaging 138.6 yards rushing per game and 4.5 yards per carry.  Pierre Thomas could have a big game tomorrow for the Saints.

The Saints must get a good pass rush against the Cowboys tomorrow or they could be in some trouble.  Tony Romo is a great QB if he has time to throw the ball and Jason Witten, Roy Williams and Miles Austin could all have huge games if he gets the time he needs.  The Saints will also have to worry about Marion Barber, Felix Jones and Tashard Choice as the Cowboys have a great running game. 

PREDICTION:  SAINTS 33, COWBOYS 30