The New Orleans Saints are trying to make it to their first Super Bowl, but they need to get through Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings first.  The Superdome should provide the Saints with some great home-field advantage and they are a much better team at home in that dome.  Drew Brees should be able to put some points on the board, but he will be getting a lot of pressure from a very strong Vikings’ defensive line.  Jared Allen leads that defense so Brees may need to get rid of the ball quicker than usual.  That means they could use some of those deadly screens and run the ball more with Reggie Bush.  Bush had one of the best games of his career and it wasn’t just his stats, it was the way he ran it.  He ran the ball with a physicality that he has lacked most of his NFL career, gaining 84 yards and a touchdown on only 5 carries.  He also had a punt return for a touchdown and caught four passes for 24 yards.  I think he can be the difference-maker against the Vikings and their strong aggressive defense.

Drew Brees had the best QB rating in the regular season, but Brett Favre was right behind him in the number two spot.  Favre has been playing some of the best football of his career, which is saying a lot since he is a future hall-of-famer.  The Saints need to make sure they get some pressure on Favre or he will hurt them.  They cannot forget about Adrian Peterson either, as the Vikings are likely going to run it a lot since the Saints give up 122 rushing yards per game.  This could be a very high-scoring game with both teams having such good offenses.  I am going with the Saints though, they have more playmakers and the Superdome will be buzzing.

PREDICTION:  New Orleans Saints 31, Minnesota Vikings 28

The New Orleans Saints had one of the most explosive offenses throughout most of the 2009 season, but they seemed to slow down a bit as the season progressed.  They are now going up against an Arizona Cardinals team that just scored 51 points, and their quarterback Kurt Warner threw more touchdowns (5) than incompletions (4).  The Saints defense has to get pressure on Warner, or he will just sit back and pick the secondary apart like he did against the Packers last week.  Warner also got a lot from his running game, something he isn’t usually used to, so the Saints will need to do a better job than the122 rushing yard average they gave up this season.  Warner is not very mobile and is a great pocket passer, so the Saints need to collapse that pocket and force the 38-year-old Warner out of his comfort zone.

The Saints offense should be able to get back to their high-scoring, play-making ways in this game.  The Cardinals defense is not very strong who give up a lot of points.  They let the Packers put up 45 points last week, so Drew Brees should take note of some of things Packers’ quarterback Aaron Rodgers was able to do.  The Saints running game should be able to do a lot of damage to the Cardinals run-defense that gave up 113 rushing yards per game this year.  Pierre Thomas, Mike Thomas, and Reggie Bush should all have productive games.  This will be a close high-scoring game, but I think the Saints have a better defense and more weapons on offense.  They are also at home, so I’m going with the Saints by a touchdown.

PREDICTION:  New Orleans Saints 38, Arizona Cardinals 31

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 New Orleans Saints (7-0) have been dominating opponents at home this season, and this week should not be any different against the Carolina Panthers (3-4).  The Saints should be able to establish a very strong running game early in this one, as the Panthers are giving up 127 rushing yards per game.  Pierre Thomas, Mike Bell, and Reggie Bush will be very effective against the Panther run-defense.  I’m expecting Drew Brees to have a big game because of this.  Brees is a very good quarterback, and is a great one when he has time.  With the Saints having the edge in the running game, it will open things up for Brees and their exciting passing game and points will be going up on the board quickly.

The Panthers offense is going to try and control the ball and keep the time of possession in their favor.  Jake Delhomme only had 90 yards last week, but the Panthers won and he did a good job managing the game.  The Saints don’t need to worry too much about Delhomme, but they do need to focus on running back DeAngelo Williams.  Williams is coming off 158 rushing yards and is the Panthers biggest offensive weapon.  I don’t think the Panthers offense will be able to keep up with the Saints, and this should be a blowout.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  New Orleans Saints 41, Carolina Panthers 20

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 (3-0) are going up against another undefeated squad as they host the New York Jets (3-0) this week.  The Saints offense has been pretty much unstoppable so far this season and have yet to trail in any game.  The Jets and their rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez have been very strong thus far as well, but have not looked as good as the dominant Saints.

The offense should not be a problem for the Saints, but don’t expect them to put up nearly 50 points like in the first two weeks.  This will be the best defense the Saints have faced so far and their passing game last week against Buffalo looked nothing like the first two weeks.  Quarterback Drew Brees had no touchdowns after having nine through the first two games, and only passed for 172 yards on 16/29 attempts (55%).  The Saints running game picked up the slack though and they rushed for 222 yards, with Pierre Thomas doing a great job filling in for the injured Mike Bell (who is still out this week with a knee injury) going for 126 yards with two touchdowns on 14 carries (9.0 avg), all in the second half.

The Saints defense has been doing a very good job, especially at stopping the run.  A lot of that has to do with the Saints offense though, as they do a good job controlling time of possession and teams are always playing catch-up, forcing them to pass more.  The Saints need to try and pressure the rookie Sanchez into playing more like a rookie.

The Jets’ RB Thomas Jones got almost nothing on the ground last week and has been splitting the carries with Leon Washington, who was much more effective than Jones last week.  They can be a dangerous combo though, so the Saints need to get an early lead like they have been all year and force the rookie quarterback to make plays.  I think the Jets defense will be able to limit the powerful Saints offense some-what, but the Jets will not get enough out of their offense and will fall to the Saints.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Saints 28, Jets 20

The New Orleans Saints (2-0) are on the road against the Buffalo Bills this week (1-1) and are looking to continue their offensive dominance.  Drew Brees has gotten off to an amazing start as he has 669 passing yards and nine touchdowns with a 132.9 passer rating.  He lead the Saints to easy wins over the Detroit Lions and the Philadelphia Eagles.  The Lions are just flat out bad and the Eagles were without McNabb, but the Saints were still very impressive on offense.

Running back Mike Bell has been almost as equally impressive as Brees, as he has rushed for 229 yards and a touchdown in two games.  Unfortunately for the Saints though, Bell sprained his MCL and will not be able to go against the Bills.  Pierre Thomas is returning from a knee injury, and expect him and Reggie Bush to get the bulk of the carries in Bell’s absence.

The Buffalo Bills offense has looked pretty good themselves, and the Saints defense will not have an easy day.  Trent Edwards has gotten off to a good start this year as he has 442 passing yards and four touchdowns with only one interception.  Edwards has the always dangerous Terrel Owens to go to, but one of his favorite targets TE Derek Schouman is out for a while with a knee injury.  With Marshawn Lynch serving a three game personal conduct suspension, running back Fred Jackson has stepped up big and the running game has looked strong for the Bills.

This will be an entertaining game, as both offenses have looked good early in the season.  This looks like the perfect ingredients for a shoot-out, but I don’t know if the Bills have enough to keep up with the highly powered Saints offense.  Even though Bell is out, the Saints will be okay at running back and Brees is playing the best football of his career so I think the Saints are going to take this one.  The Bills will put up a fight but the Saints have too many weapons and will win pretty convincingly.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Saints 42, Bills 31

This is way too low for the Saints who have really reloaded on defense.  I think the Saints will battle the Panthers for the division crown in 2008.  Take the over with confidence as the Saints are ready to roll again in 2008.

The over/under for Saints wins is 7.  The Saints are 80-1 to win the Super Bowl and 33-1 to win the NFC.

I suggest you leave your money in your pocket.  My projections put the Saints right on 7 wins for the year.

On Monday Night, September 25th, the Saints will play their home opener at the SuperDome.  Everyone in the stands and all the players on the field will be pumped up beyond belief.  The poor Falcons, I almost feel sorry for them as they will feel as if they kicked a hornets’ nest.  The Saints have covered three of the last four games against the Falcons, and Reggie Bush will electrify a city for a night.

Saints win outright.