NFC South: Ravens Or Falcons? All These Dirty Birds Give Brees Pause For Concern

The Saints are on a six-game winning streak and yet there is no time to enjoy it in New Orleans.

A famous writer, Norman Mailer, said once that the thing you love the most is the very same thing that ultimately brings you down.

He was talking about Muhammad Ali.

Saints fans love their football team and they love winning, but you will find no shortage of those same fans with frowns on their faces these days, their cheeks all wrinkled up with worry, fearful that their local heroes won't be able to overtake the Atlanta Falcons for the NFC South crown.

They have flashbacks to 2006 when the Saints lost the NFC Championship Game to the Chicago Bears in frigid Soldier Field.

They envision that same nightmare if the Saints fail to secure home field advantage and have to play up North in January.

Drew Brees knows he's not holding the best of hands in this high-stakes poker game.

He's well aware that the Falcons have the smoother road to the clubhouse.

Garrett Hartley missed a little chippy field goal against those "Dirty Birds" in September and the Falcons haven't looked back since. Saints partisans hoped the Falcons would stumble against Baltimore or Green Bay, but they eked out wins.

Both the Saints and Falcons have three games remaining, one against each other at the Georgia Dome. Yet, the combined record of the Falcons remaining opponents is 17-22, while the combined record of the Saints remaining opponents is 28-11.

Do the math.

The Saints will face challenges from the Ravens and surprising Tampa Bay, while Atlanta gets off light against a mediocre Seattle team this week and a 1-12 Carolina in their regular season finale.

Brees knows his situation is equivalent to trailing Tiger Woods by two strokes with three holes to play on the back nine on Sunday afternoon at Augusta National.

He's well aware that, in order to repeat as Super Bowl Champions, the Saints may have to do it as the New York Giants did it three years ago—from a wild card position.

Yeah, life is definitely not fair.

The champion of the NFC West may enter the playoffs with a 7-9 record and I myself think Congress should address that issue before they decide the fate of the Omnibus bill and the tax compromise.

Brees probably needs a dose of Nyquil when he gets to thinking about that Ravens defense—a physical bunch that has been ranked in the top ten all year.

"They fly around no matter whose in the game," Brees told WWL Radio's Bobby Hebert Wednesday night. "They've had some injuries at times, but it seems like guys just fell in and played very well."

"I think they just play with an attitude with guys like Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs and Ed Reed," continued Brees. "They've got good leadership and, so, they can get after you in the passing game...they kind of have that mentality of creating turnovers...we've got to be ready for that going into that type of environment."

Offensively, Ravens QB Joe Flacco can make all the throws to one of the league's most talented receiving corps and, defensively, the Ravens are just plain mean and nasty.

Meanwhile, those lucky Atlanta "Dirty Birds" have the luxury of facing Seattle's No. 31 ranked defense this weekend.

Lucky Dirty Birds.

Brees says balance on offense will be key for success against the Ravens "D."

"What the Texans were able to do was just wear (the Ravens) down as the game progressed...they run the ball very effectively with (Adrian) Foster," Brees told Hebert. "And, obviously, you look at our stable of running backs and the way we rotate guys in and mix up the play calls with run or pass—I think it is important that we get that run game going and just keep them off balance."