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.