The New Orleans Saints have done everything right so far. They’re averaging over 35 points a game, they’ve played well defensively and they haven’t lost a game.

The Saints don’t need anyone’s respect because they’ve earned it to this point. But beat the Patriots tonight and they’ll go from Super Bowl contenders to Super Bowl favorites.

Even though they didn’t make the playoffs last season, the Pats are still the gold standard in terms of how teams measure themselves. Beat New England and you don’t need anything more in terms of confidence. Lose to New England and you might find out how far you still have to go in order to compete with the best.

Personally, I think the Saints will come out victorious tonight. While the Falcons and Panthers gave them somewhat of a scare, no team has come close to beating the Saints in New Orleans. The team feeds off the energy of the Superdome and it’s hard for opponents to reach the same emotional level that the Saints do when they play at home.

That said, Bill Belichick is still one of the greatest game planners in the game and if anyone is going to figure out a way to slow down Sean Payton’s offense, it’s Belichick. Even if New England doesn’t have the personnel to stop Drew Brees and company (which they don’t), Belichick will still put his players in the best position to win.

I’d be shocked if the game tonight doesn’t live up to its hype. It’s going to be fun to see if Belichick and Tom Brady can march into New Orleans and earn a win, or if the Saints will rise to the challenge and overcome the most elite team on their regular season schedule.

Photo from fOTOGLIF
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