The Saints are rolling into the playoffs on a 8-game winning streak, while the Lions have three of their last four games to make the playoffs for the first time since the 1999 season.  The Saints were an incredible 8-0 at home this year where they outscored teams by an average of 41.1 – 17.9!  The Saints beat the Lions 31-17 in New Orleans just five weeks ago.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Saints have the ball:  The Saints are going to come out throwing the ball as usual in this game.  The Lions had 41 sacks and 21 interceptions this year, so Brees will likely have to get rid of the ball quickly while making good decisions with the football…..which he almost always does.  Brees won’t have WR Lance Moore in this game due to a hamstring injury.  That will be o.k. though as he still has TE Jimmy Graham and WRs Marques Colston, Devery Henderson and Robert Meachem to throw the ball to.  The Saints are not a passing only team though, so they are going to run the ball some against a Lions’ D that is giving up 128.1 yards rushing per game and 5.0 yards per carry so far this year.  Darren Sproles, Chris Ivory and Pierre Thomas will likely share the carries in the running game.  Sproles is also going to test the Lions’ linebackers out of the backfield on a few pass plays.

When the Lions have the ball:  The Lions are going to try to fight fire with fire tomorrow.  The Saints are going to have to get pressure on Matt Stafford, because he also has an outstanding set of WRs and TEs to throw to.  The Saints will likely double cover WR Calvin Johnson, and it still might not stop him as he has been awesome so far this year.  Nate Burleson, Titus Young, Brandon Pettigrew and Tony Scheffler give Stafford more targets to throw to if the Saints are giving to much attention towards stopping Calvin Johnson.  The Lions’ secret weapon is RB Kevin Smith.

PREDICTION:  SAINTS 37, LIONS 27

The New Orleans Saints have won 7 games in a row as they are rolling right now.  They need to win against the Panthers and get a Rams win over the 49ers to secure the #2 seed in the NFC.  So the Saints will be watching the scoreboard, and they will likely pull most of their starters out of the game if the Niners are blowing out the Rams.  The Panthers have won two games in a row and four of their last five games.  They have won their last two games by a combined score of 76-29!   The Saints won the first matchup, 30-27 in Carolina earlier this year.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Saints have the ball:  The Saints aren’t going to change the offense this weekend.  The Panthers are giving up 236.0 yards passing per game so far this year so look for Drew Brees and Chase Daniel to pass a lot this weekend.  Marques Colston, Lance Moore and Jimmy Graham will also likely have short days in this game.  Robert Meachem and Devery Henderson could be in line for big games for the Saints this weekend.  The Saints will also likely give a quick hook to WRs Darren Sproles and Pierre Thomas…..with Chris Ivory shouldering a heavy workload this Sunday.

When the Panthers have the ball:  The Panthers are going to want to win this game in the worst way.  They have the weapons to give the Saints’ defense fits, especially if they rest some regulars.  Look for the Panthers to be pretty balanced in this game as the run and throw the ball very well.  DeAngelo Williams, Cam Newton and Jonathan Stewart are going to keep the Saints’ front seven really busy this Sunday.  The Saints are going to have to get after Cam Newton, or he’s going to have a big game throwing the ball.  WRs Steve Smith, Brandon LaFell and TEs Jeremy Shockey and Greg Olsen are going to give the Saints’ secondary fits in this game.

PREDICTION:  PANTHERS 31, SAINTS 23

The Saints and Falcons are both playing for playoff seeding, so expect a really good and high scoring game tonight.  The Saints have won six games in a row.  The Falcons have won two games in a row by a combined score of 72-37!  The Saints beat the Falcons in Atlanta, 26-23 in O.T. earlier this year.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Saints have the ball:  The Saints are going to come out passing in this game, as usual.  The Falcons are going to be bringing some heat, so the O-Line is going to have to pick it up and give Drew Brees time to throw the ball.  The Falcons are giving up 230.6 yards passing so far this year, so Brees should have a good game.  He will spread the ball around as he has 7 receivers with at least 27 catches so far this year.  Darren Sproles, Pierre Thomas and Chris Ivory will lend ground support if the Falcons overplay the pass with a lot of extra DBs on the field.

When the Falcons have the ball:  The Saints’ front seven is going to have to step up if they are going to stop RB Michael Turner tonight.  That won’t be easy.  The Saints are also going to have to get after Falcons’ QB Matt Ryan.  If Ryan has time to throw the ball, the Saints could be in big trouble as they are giving up 256.1 yards passing per game so far this year.  Ryan has a lot of nice weapons to throw to in WRs Roddy White, Julio Jones, Harry Douglas and TE Tony Gonzalez.

PREDICTION:  SAINTS 33, FALCONS 30

The Saints have won five games in a row as they are trying to overtake the 49ers for the #2 seed in the NFC Playoffs.  That makes this game a must win for the Saints.  They have been excellent indoors this year, which should negate the somewhat tough time they have had on the road this year.  The Vikings have lost five games in a row, but the last two ones have been close ones.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Saints have the ball:  The Saints are likely to come out passing against the Vikings this Sunday.  The Vikings are giving up 248.8 yards passing per game and opposing QBs have a 107.1 Rating against them this year.  Brees will likely spread the ball around to his impressive cast of receivers as long as he has time to throw the ball.  The Vikings already have 40 sacks this year (17.5 by DE Jared Allen), so the Saints’ O-Line is going to get challenged.  The Saints’ RBs will have to fight for every yard as the Vikings are only giving up 3.7 yards per carry so far this year.

When the Vikings have the ball:  The Vikings are hoping to have Adrian Peterson back this weekend.  The Saints are giving up 110.3 yards rushing per game and 4.9 yards per carry so far this year, so Peterson could have a big game.  Vikings’ QBs have been sacked 41 times already this year so the Saints are going to be coming after Christian Ponder in an effort to try to force him into making mistakes.  The Saints are also going to have to focus on stopping WR Percy Harvin, who is a true gamebreaker at WR.

PREDICTION:  SAINTS 33, VIKINGS 20

The New Orleans Saints have won four games in a row as they are looking sharp right now.  But, the Saints are a very ordinary 3-3 on the road this year, where they have been outscored 159-154.  This is a big game for the Titans too.  The Titans have won two games in a row and they are still in the race to win the AFC South or a wildcard spot in the AFC.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Saints have the ball:  The Saints are going to come out throwing the ball in this game.  If the O-Line give Drew Brees a lot of time, he’s going to have a great game.  He has been really focusing on getting the ball to TE Jimmy Graham and I look for that to continue this weekend as he will challenge the safeties of the Titans.  Brees has been spreading the ball around well to his WRs, keeping them all involved, making things really tough on opposing secondaries.  RB Darren Sproles has been really effective out of the backfield catching passes, putting a lot of pressure on LBs of the opposing defenses.  The Saints like to also grind the ball on the ground if they get a lead.  They will spread the ball around to Mark Ingram, Pierre Thomas and Darren Sproles in the running game and they should be effective as the Titans are giving up 121.8 yards rushing per game and 4.3 yards per carry.

When the Titans have the ball:  The Saints are going to have to try to gang up and stop Chris Johnson.  Johnson has averaged 121.5 yards rushing per game in the Titans’ last four games as he is starting to get into a good groove.  The Saints can allow Johnson to get going because it energizes the whole offense.  Matt Hasselbeck can’t match passes with Drew Brees, but he can definitely take advantage of a defense that is preoccupied with stopping the running game.  He has a solid set of WRs in Nate Washington, Lavelle Hawkins and Damian Williams.

PREDICTION:  SAINTS 27, TITANS 24

The New Orleans Saints are hot right now as they have won three games in a row.  They are also 5-0 at the SuperDome this year as they have outscored opposing teams 208-93 so far this year!  The Lions have lost four of their last six games, as they have run into trouble lately.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Saints have the ball:  The Saints are going to come out of the locker room throwing the football.  Drew Brees is going to spread the field and attack the weaknesses of the Lions’ D.  The Lions have a solid secondary as opposing QBs only have a 73.1 QB Rating against them, but that shouldn’t stop Brees as he is electric at home.  The Saints are going to try to get a nice lead and then grind this game out on the ground with Mark Ingram, Pierre Thomas and Darren Sproles’ running.  The Lions are giving up 127.3 yards rushing per game and 4.8 yards per carry,so the Saints should have little problem running the ball whenever they decide to in this game.

When the Lions have the ball:  Matt Stafford has been off lately due to his broken right index finger.  The Saints are going to try to put pressure on Stafford to get him to rush the ball.  He has thrown a lot of interceptions lately, due to playing hurt and the Saints hope that continues this weekend.  The Lions have a very solid set of WRs in Calvin Johnson (he’s awesome), Titus Young, Nate Burleson, Brandon Pettigrew and Tony Scheffler, so the Saints’ secondary is going to have to be ready for a war.  The Lions have also been getting solid work out of Kevin Smith and Maurice Morris lately in the running game, so the front seven of the Saints are going to get challenged this Sunday Night.

PREDICTION:  SAINTS 37, LIONS 24

The Saints have been awesome in New Orleans where they are 4-0 on the season.  They have outscored opponents by a combined score of 159-69 at home this year.  The Giants have been pretty solid on the road this year, but they are on a two game losing streak heading into this game.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Saints have the ball:  The Saints are going to attack the Giants down the field with the pass game early and often this Monday Night.  Drew Brees is going to have to get rid of the ball really quickly on Monday Night as the Giants have 31 sacks already this year as they bring heat from all over the field.  Saints’ receivers will have to get a lot of yards after the catch and they are certainly capable of doing just that.  The Giants are also going to have issues dealing with TE Jimmy Graham’s combination of size and speed.  Darren Sproles and Pierre Thomas will give the Saints some balance running the ball if the Giants go all out to stop the pass.

When the Giants have the ball:  The Saints are going to have to blitz a lot in this game and force Eli Manning into making some mistakes.  Manning has been playing at a very high level so far this year and he has a nice set of WRs and TEs to throw to.  The Saints’ secondary are going to have their hands full in trying to cover Victor Cruz, Mario Manningham, Hakeem Nicks and TE Jake Ballard.  The Saints’ front seven will also had to be ready to deal with RB Brandon Jacobs, as he is a very powerful runner.

PREDICTION:  SAINTS 30, GIANTS 24

The Saints are going to right the ship on the road at Atlanta this weekend.  The Saints are only 2-3 on the road this year, and they have to start playing better away from home, staring this weekend.  The Falcons have won three games in a row in which they have outscored their opponents by a combined score of 75-40.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Saints have the ball:  The Falcons are giving up 245.3 yards passing per game, so Drew Brees is likely going to have a big game this Sunday, but he’s going to have to protect the football.  Look for Brees to spread the ball around to his WRs (Devery Henderson, Marques Colston, Lance Moore and Robert Meachem), TE (Jimmy Graham) and RBs (Pierre Thomas and Darren Sproles) in an effort the spread the Falcons’ defense out.  Then they will hammer at the middle of the D with Pierre Thomas, Chris Ivory and Darren Sproles in the running game.

When the Falcons have the ball:  The Falcons are going to try to play power ball initially in this game with Michael Turner pounding away at a Saints’ D that is allowing 139.6 yards rushing per game and 5.2 yards per carry.  The Saints need to get after Matt Ryan as the Falcons’ broke out throwing the ball deep last weekend against the Colts.  WR Julio Jones exploded with an awesome game last weekend and he has the spread to challenge the Saints repeatedly deep.  Ryan is very good on the short stuff to TE Tony Gonzalez and WR Roddy White, so the secondary of the Saints are going to need to step up this Sunday.

FALCONS 30, SAINTS 27

The Saints are looking to rebound from a tough 31-21 loss against the Rams in St. Louis last weekend.  They have been awesome at home this year where they are 3-0 (outscoring opponents 132-53!) on the year.  The Saints will be looking to avenge an earlier 26-20 loss to the Bucs in Tampa.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Saints have the ball:  The Saints are going to come out throwing the ball against the Bucs.  Drew Brees should have plenty of time to throw the ball as the Bucs don’t have much of a pass rush.  Brees will likely spread the field and attack the weakness of the Bucs’ D, wherever that may be this Sunday.  Darren Sproles and Pierre Thomas will also get a lot of work in this game as the Bucs are allowing 123.4 yards rushing per game and 4.5 yards per carry.

When the Buccaneers have the ball:  The Saints’ D are going to have their hands full this weekend as LeGarrette Blount is ready to return to action for the Bucs.  The Saints will need to get pressure on Bucs’ QB Josh Freeman.  If Freeman has time to throw the ball, the Saints could be in some trouble as the secondary play has not been too good this year.  Freeman, like Brees, doesn’t have a favorite receiver as he likes to spread the ball around and keep everyone happy.

PREDICTION:  SAINTS 27, BUCCANEERS 20

The New Orleans Saints destroyed the Colts 62-7 last weekend in the SuperDome.  They are facing another sorry team this Sunday in a St. Louis Rams’ squad that is only scoring 9.3 points per game so far this year.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Saints have the ball:  The Rams are giving up 183.8 yards rushing per game and 5.5 yards per carry, so look for the Saints to be balanced again this weekend.  Mark Ingram is going to miss this game due to a heel injury.  That’s o.k. as Pierre Thomas and Darren Sproles are more than capable of handling the load in the running game.  The Rams don’t have much of a pass rush, so look for Drew Brees to have plenty of time to slice and dice the secondary.  He will spread the ball around to keep all of his WRs, TEs and RBs happy.

When the Rams have the ball:  The Saints are giving up 5.4 yards per carry so far this year, so look for the Rams to give them a very heavy dose of Steven Jackson.  If the Saints can slow down Jackson this Sunday, they will be able to put a very heavy pass rush on A.J. Feeley, who will be starting at QB again this weekend.  Newly acquired Brandon Lloyd is already the #1 WR for the Rams, so the Saints will have to pay him special attention.  The rest of the Rams’ WRs and TEs don’t scare anyone.

PREDICTION:  SAINTS 31, RAMS 10