• SHOWDOWN IN THE FRENCH QUARTERS

    The (7-3) New England Patriots take the trip south to the Superdome, for a Monday night showdown with the (10-0) New Orleans Saints. The Saints are the only NFC team that remains undefeated. Only the Indianapolis Colts join them in a perfect season thus far.

    Can the Saints reel off an eleventh straight victory? Facing a New England Patriot team primed for a run. Tom Brady is back to his rare form. Wes Welker is coming off a career high 15 catch, 192 receiving yard performance. Randy Moss will be looking to post primetime numbers in a primetime game. Bill Belichick will be devising defensive schemes yet to be seen on film. Throw in New England’s heartbreaking week 10 loss to the Colts. Motivation couldn’t be any higher for this squad.

    The Patriots defense made a huge statement in week 11. They dominated the Mark Sanchez led offense of the New York Jets. Sanchez threw four picks. Three of those picks complimentary of Leigh Bodden. One of which he returned for a TD. Belichick defenses eat up inexperienced quarterbacks. Peyton Manning struggled for years before getting over the hump.

    Drew Brees is 2-0 versus the Patriots over his career. Both times he was sporting a Charger uniform. He played them in week 4 of 2002 and week 4 of 2005. In 2002 he threw for a meager 104 yards, 1TD. LaDainian Tomlinson ran for 217 yards, 2TDS. In 2005 Brees threw for 248 yards, 2TDS. L.T. had 134 yards, 2TDS. Brees has found some success when facing Belichick defenses. It didn’t hurt that L.T. was the best running back on the planet at that time.

    The Saints have a stable of dangerous wide receivers in Marques Colston, Robert Meachem, Devery Henderson, and Lance Moore. Tight ends Jeremy Shockey and David Thomas have great hands. Running backs Pierre Thomas, Mike Bell, and Reggie Bush are all capable of doing their share of damage. Sean Peyton has explosive offensive players capable of giving the NFL’s best defenses fits.

    This game is a chess match. The Saints Sean Peyton is regarded as one of the brightest offensive minds in the game. Then you have Bill Belichick who is one of the NFL’s more innovative defensive strategists. This is going to be a game of constant adjustments. A game when the momentum can turn on a dime.

    Will it come down to General Brady or General Brees, being summoned, to march their respective team down the field come crunch time? Expect this game to go down to the wire. Both of these teams have a ton of talent on their squads. Coaches and management included.

    The Patriots have won their last six games on Monday night football. Is there a seventh in the works? The Saints offense is averaging 36.9 points per game. The Patriots pass defense ranks 6th. The Saints pass defense ranks 16th. I’m giving a slight advantage to the Patriots. They find a way to win this one on the road, spoiling the Saints campaign for a perfect season.

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