The Saints swept the Falcons by a combined score of 61-50 last season.  But the teams come into this game ready to slug it out as the Falcons are the biggest threat to the Saints in the NFC South this year.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Saints have the ball:  The Falcons have only allowed 22 points this year and the big reason for that is improved pass defense.  The Falcons are allowing 180.0 yards passing this year and they already have 4 interceptions and 5 sacks this year.  I still expect the Saints to attack the Falcons through the air though as Drew Brees tore them up last year.  Brees completed 56 of 73 passes (76.7%) for 604 yards with 5 TD passes and 1 INT against the Falcons last year.  All of that being said though the Falcons have had troubles stopping the run this year as they are allowing 130.5 yards rushing per game and 5.9 yards per carry.  So expect Pierre Thomas to get his fair share of touches in this game.

When the Falcons have the ball:  The Falcons are going to run the ball a lot in this game.  Michael Turner and Jason Snelling are going to take aim at the Saints’ linebackers so Jonathan Vilma, Scott Shanle and Jo-Lonn Dunbar better be ready in this game.  Michael Turner only played in one of the games against the Saints last season and he carried the ball 20 times for 151 yards (7.6 ypc) with a TD run.  The Falcons are far from one dimensional so Matt Ryan will also be attacking the Saints’ secondary with Roddy White, Tony Gonzalez and Harry Douglas.

PREDICTION:  SAINTS 30, FALCONS 27

The Saints have had a lot of rest to get ready for the 49ers so I look for them to give them their best shot.  The Niners are still licking their wounds after getting destroyed by the Seahawks in the season opener last week.  Here is a look at the match-ups in this game:

When the Saints have the ball:  The Saints will likely come out throwing the ball against the Niners in an attempt to snap their will.  Brees will likely continue to use every receiver he has as 8 different players caught at least 2 passes each in the season opener.  I look for Reggie Bush to be used a little more in this game as he only had 7 touches for 47 yards (6.7 avg) in the season opener.  If the Saints get a lead in this game I look for them to run the ball more often in the second half with Pierre Thomas just like last week.

When the 49ers have the ball:  The Saints have to go all out to stop Frank Gore like the Seahawks did last week.  If Gore is stopped the Saints can send a heavy blitz at Alex Smith which will force him into making big mistakes.  The Saints safeties better be ready to deal with Vernon Davis who is one of the best TEs in all of football.  He is by far the best receiver on the team as WRs Michael Crabtree and Josh Morgan don’t scare anyone.

PREDICTION:  SAINTS 30, 49ers 17

The Saints will get a stern test tomorrow night in the season opener against the Vikings in New Orleans.  In last year’s NFC Championship the Saints won 31-28 in OT before advancing and winning the Super Bowl.  The Vikings will have plenty of motivation in this game so the Saints need to be up for this game.

When the Saints have the football:  It’s looking like tough sledding in the running game as Pierre Thomas & Reggie Bush aren’t likely going to find a lot of running room against the Vikings’ front seven.  I do think that Bush could have some success out of the backfield in the passing game though.  I see the Saints airing it out in this game which means that the O-Line needs to keep DEs Jared Allen, Ray Edwards and OLB Chad Greenway out of the backfield.  Marques Colston has a huge height advantage over the Vikings’ smallish DBs so look for him to be the main target in the passing game tomorrow night.  I also look for Brees to spread the ball around using Devery Henderson, Robert Meachem, Lance Moore and TEs Jeremy Shockey and David Thomas.

When the Vikings have the ball:  The first order of business for the Saints will be trying to slow down Adrian Peterson.  Obviously the Saints’ linebackers will be trying to strip the ball from him as he has had fumbling issues in the past.  The Saints will need DEs Will Smith and Alex Brown to put a lot of pressure on Brett Favre who still makes silly mistakes once in a while.  I have a feeling that the Vikings are going to attack free safety Malcolm Jenkins deep with Percy Harvin and Bernard Berrian and hopefully he’ll be up to the challenge.

PREDICTION:  VIKINGS 28, SAINTS 27

The Saints play the most important game in team history tomorrow night in Miami, Florida.  The Saints got here by playing solid football but the offense carries this team.  The Saints will likely run a balanced offense tomorrow with a lot of short passes and by running the ball to control the clock.  The running game will come down to how well the Saints’ O-Line does against the front seven of the Colts who are not known for run defense.  That is good news for both Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush.  Thomas will get a lot of yards between the tackles against the Colts’ D tomorrow for sure.  That will open things up on the outside for Reggie Bush who is averaging 7.7 yards per carry during the post season.  His speed will cause a huge problem on the edges of the Colts’ D as OLBs Clint Session and Philip Wheeler will have problems keeping up with him.  Drew Brees will likely have enough time to throw the ball tomorrow with Dwight Freeney either sitting out the game or being gimpy.  That will lead the Saints’ O-Line to double DE Robert Mathis on the other side of the line negating the Colts’ pass rush.  This is big trouble for the Colts’ D.  The Saints will probably throw short passes to Reggie Bush, Jeremy Shockey and David Thomas to set up deeper throws to Devery Henderson and Marques Colston.  Look for the Saints’ offense to have a field day in the Super Bowl.

When the Colts have the football it’s all about stopping Peyton Manning.  That is easier said than done as both the Ravens and Jets tried to double Reggie Wayne and the result was Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie both having huge games.  This is the kind of game where someone steps up on the big stage and makes a name for himself.  My pick is DE Will Smith who is a very underrated player.  I think he will get in Peyton Manning’s face a few times causing him to rush his throw resulting in a big positive play for the Saints’ D tomorrow.  Look for the Saints’ safeties (Darren Sharper and Roman Harper) to be all over Dallas Clark tomorrow. 

PREDICTION:  SAINTS 34, COLTS 30

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

This is going to be a really tough game for the Saints this weekend.  The Panthers have thrashed the Giants and Vikings the last two weeks by a combined score of 67-16 while the Saints have lost two games in a row.  The Saints have the home field locked up going into the playoffs so the question is whether they should rest their players or not.  I have a hart time believing that the Saints would play their starters more than a half in a game that really means nothing to them.  The Saints would probably be smart to run the ball a lot more than usual in this game to protect Drew Brees while he is in the game. Because, if Brees gets hurt in this meaningless game the Saints’ season will be pretty much over because Mark Brunell doesn’t have a lot of bullets left in his gun.  That means that Mike Bell, Lynell Hamilton and Reggie Bush will likely be the focal points of the offense this Sunday for the Saints.

With WR Steve Smith out of the game for the Panthers look for them to lean heavily on the running game.  The Saints must go all out to stop Jonathan Stewart or it’s going to be a very long day for the Saints.  They can’t bring too many guys up to help defend the run because new QB Matt Moore has shown that he is adept at running play action passes. 

PREDICTION:  PANTHERS 27, SAINTS 17

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 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

The first time these two teams played the Saints had to fight tooth and nail before finally prevailing 35-27 at home.  But, the Falcons had a healthy Matt Ryan and Michael Turner in that game.  If either of them play this week they will be gimpy.  With that in mind the Saints should come out throwing the ball to force the Falcons into a firefight.  Drew Brees should have a field day throwing against a Falcons’ D that is allowing 254.7 yards passing per game.  If the Saints succeed in getting the lead in the passing game then they can grind out the game on the ground with Pierre Thomas leading the way against a Falcons’ D that is allowing 119.8 yards rushing per game and 4.3 yards per carry.

The Falcons will no doubt come out running the football with Jason Snelling and Jerious Norwood against a Saints’ D that is allowing 113.9 yards rushing and 4.5 yards per carry.  The Saints must stop the running game of the Falcons to force Chris Redman into making some mistakes like he did last weekend against the Eagles.  The Saints should double cover Roddy White and make the Falcons use other receivers to try to beat their defense.

PREDICTION:  SAINTS 33, FALCONS 17