The New Orleans Saints (11-0) will stay undefeated after this week as they take on the Washington Redskins (3-8).  The Redskins do have a decent defense who gives up less than 300 total yards per game.  The Saints are a different team than any other team that the Skins have faced though, and the Saints have been very successful against better defenses, so they will have no problem doing their thing against the Skins.  Drew Brees needs another big game to get more momentum for the MVP race.

The Saints defense basically just needs to show up and the Saints will win.  The Skins offense is pretty bad, but even if they have their best game of the year they wont be able to keep up with Brees and the Saints’ offense.  The Skins will be trying to get their running game going to control the clock,  and they will probably have some success doing that as they average 127 rushing yards per game.  They have virtually no passing game though, so the Saints should blow them out.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  New Orleans Saints 42, Washington Redskins 17

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 Saints are sitting at 9-0 on the year and you would think that this week would be a laugher for them against the 1-8 Bucs.  It won’t be as easy as most people think it will.  The Saints are having big defensive issues as of late due to injuries so they will likely try to dominate this game on offense.  Drew Brees will likely have a lot of time to throw against a Bucs’ D that is lacking pass rushers.  That is bad news for the DBs of the Bucs in having to deal with Marques Colston, Devery Henderson, Jeremy Shockey and Robert Meachem.  The Bucs are allowing 211.9 yards passing per game so the Saints will likely have a good day throwing the ball.  But, don’t think for a minute that Pierre Thomas, Reggie Bush and Mike Bell won’t get to have their fun too against a Bucs’ D that is allowing 167.3 yards rushing per game and 4.9 yards per carry.

The Bucs look like a different football team with rookie QB Josh Freeman under center.  The Bucs would still likely want to get a running game going in an effort to keep the Saints’ offense on the sideline.  That means that Cadillac Williams, Derrick Ward and Ernest Graham will have to run hard against a Saints’ D that is allowing 115.3 yards rushing per game and 4.5 yards per carry.  If the Bucs are effective running the ball that will open up some play action passing for Freeman against a Saints’ D that is allowing 227.7 yards passing per game. 

PREDICTION:  SAINTS 35, BUCCANEERS 27

This appears to be a huge mis-match on paper.  The Saints will likely be able to do whatever they want on offense as the Rams are allowing 134.8 yards rushing per game (4.2 ypc) and 238.6 yards passing per game.  The Saints have been very balanced this season as they have run the ball 259 times and passed the ball 265 times.  With that in mind look for Pierre Thomas to have a pretty heavy workload in this game.  I also have a feeling that Reggie Bush will get loose on a pass or two out of the backfield against the Rams.  Marques Colston, Devery Henderson and Jeremy Shockey will also get their share of yards with Drew Brees likely picking apart the secondary of the Rams on Sunday.

The Saints have 16 interceptions and 19 sacks this season so look for the Rams to stay away from the passing game unless they fall behind to quick.  This game will belong to Steven Jackson of the Rams against a Saints’ D that is allowing 112.1 yards rushing per game and 4.4 yards per carry.  Ever since the injury to DT Sedrick Ellis teams have been having their way with the front seven of the Saints in the running game.  With that in mind Steven Jackson will likely be very tired after this game as the Rams will ride him hard in this game.

PREDICTION:  SAINTS 27, RAMS 13

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

This game will likely be much closer than the “experts” think.  The Falcons will likely try to get Michael Turner started in this game as he is having an off year.  The Saints are allowing 92.3 yards rushing per game and 4.0 yards per carry so Turner could have some success if the Falcons stick to the running game to try to control the clock.  More than likely though this game will turn into a shootout and the Falcons have the weapons to trade punches with the Saints.  Tony Gonzalez, Roddy White and Michael Jenkins have the speed to stretch the field and Matt Ryan has only been sacked six times this season so he will likely have time to throw the ball downfield.  Ryan must account for wherever Darren Sharper of the Saints is because he has six interceptions this season (3 pick sixes).

The Saints will likely run the ball quite a bit in this game with Mike Bell, Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush against a Falcons’ D that is allowing 117.7 yards rushing per game and 4.6 yards per carry.  The Saints will also be throwing the ball down the field to Marques Colston, Lance Moore and Devery Henderson.  Drew Brees will also be targeting TE Jeremy Shockey on shorter passes over the middle giving him some working room.  The Falcons allow 250.7 yards passing per game so Drew Brees should have a good game.

PREDICTION:  SAINTS 33, FALCONS 30

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

The New Orleans Saints looked great in their week one victory over the Detroit Lions.  Yet most teams look great against the Lions so don’t expect the Saints to put up nearly 50 points every game.  The Eagles defense brings a much bigger challenge to the talented Saints offense.

Drew Brees threw six touchdowns last game and the running game busted for well over 100 yards, and although it was the Lions it was a great sign for the Saints to have the offense clicking so well this early in the season.  The Saints defense will most likely not have to face star quarterback Donovan McNabb, as he has a broken rib.

The Eagles did sign Jeff Garcia after McNabb’s injury but he isn’t prepared enough for this weeks game.  Michael Vick is still serving his two game suspension, so that means Kevin Kolb will be starting at quarterback for the Eagles.  The Saints defense will be able to contain the medicore quarterback and the Eagles defense will not be able to do enough to contain the Saints offense.  I see the Saints winning this one by at least a touchdown.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Saints 28, Eagles 20