SAINTS MAKE EMPHATIC STATEMENT WITH WIN OVER PATS

Many NFL football pundits felt that the New England Patriots would be the team to finally derail the New Orleans Saints’ perfect season.  It didn’t quite work out that way.  Drew Brees threw for 371 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions, while New England’s Tom Brady struggled with 237 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions as the Saints dominated the Patriots in a 38-17 victory.  New Orleans improved their record to 11-0 while New England dropped to 7-4.

The Saints easily took the NFL pointspread victory as well, covering as a -2 home favorite.  New Orleans improved their ATS record to 8-3, while New England slipped to 6-5 against the number.  The 55 combined points scored just managed to stay UNDER the posted total of 57.  The Saints have gone UNDER in five of eleven games this year while the Pats have a NFL totals record of 4-6-1.

After the contest, Brees talked about the victory:

"It only counts for one win on the stat sheet, but emotionally, those types of wins can mean a little more. Anytime you can win, and win that way, it builds confidence for you. We were able to accomplish something offensively tonight that was pretty special."

Head coach Sean Payton concurred:

"He was special. Let's just say he's playing really well."

New England’s Tom Brady, meanwhile, conceded that the Pats had been beaten by a better team:

"There's obviously a big gap between us. It wasn't nearly as competitive as we all were expecting. "There's a reason why they are 11-0.They played really well and we didn't play up to their level."

Coach Bill Belichick called the Pats’ defensive performance ‘really bad’ and added:

"We had several blown coverages and they took advantage. There were enormous mistakes on our part. You can't make those mistakes against a good team."
The Saints will now try to keep their undefeated streak going as they face two straight games away from home.  They’ll head to Washington, DC for a game against the Redskins this Sunday.  New Orleans is a -9’ road favorite with the total set at 47’.  Next week they’ll head to the Georgia Dome to face the injury riddled Atlanta Falcons before returning home on December 20 to play the Dallas Cowboys.   That may be the biggest test to the Saints’ undefeated season, as they finish the year with a home game against Tampa Bay and a road contest at Carolina.  New England will play on the road against the Miami Dolphins this Sunday, with the Patriots a -5 road favorite and the total set at 46.  They’ll return home to play Carolina the following week before a road tilt against the Buffalo Bills on December 20.