by Jonathan Storti
Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints toppled the New England Patriots 38-17. Brees threw five touchdowns and went over 350 yards in the Monday Night showdown. The game was hyped as an offensive bonanza between two All-Pro quarterbacks. The match-up showcased the still undefeated Saints battling an opponent who flirted with perfection just two seasons ago. The 2007 Patriots completed the regular season 16-0, something no team had ever done during a 16 game regular season. The Saints are now trying match the Patriots perfect regular season, and hopefully have a better end result.
Brees shined throughout the night picking the Patriots defense apart, sometimes with little effort. During the second quarter New England’s secondary completely lost track of Saints wide receiver Devery Henderson. He scored untouched on a 75-yard pass play, leaving the Patriots defense befuddled. New Orleans running backs Pierre Thomas and Mike Bell combined for over 100-yards rushing, as the Saints controlled all aspects of the game. The biggest surprise of the night was how well New Orleans’ defense played against the explosive passing attack of the Patriots. Going into the game it was believed that the Saints defense would be their greatest weakness.
Tom Brady had a forgettable night throwing two interceptions and not finding the endzone once. The Saints secondary controlled Randy Moss for much of the game, not allowing any big plays to develop. Darren Sharper and Will Smith both had great defense performances for the Saints. For seasons the Saints defense had been suspect, especially in the secondary, but this year has seen vast improvement.
With only five games remaining the Saints have a very good opportunity to finish the regular season undefeated. The only threatening games left are a home game against the Cowboys and a trip to Atlanta to face the Falcons. The Saints may also be forced to play their starters all the way into the end of the regular season because they are battling the 10-1 Vikings for the #1 seed in the NFC playoffs.
The Patriots close the season with a soft schedule and are likely to be playing deep in the playoffs. The New Orleans Saints can no longer be called a pretender after their dismantling of the Patriots. Very few teams have the ability to neutralize New England on both defense and offense. A Minnesota versus New Orleans NFC Championship looks very likely as both teams are the class of their conference.
I Believe, Highlights of the Saints pounding of the Patriots
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