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The New Orleans Saints are on their way to going 8-3 on the regular season, but can they steal the second seed away from the San Francisco 49ers?

The 49ers are 9-2 on the season and they're a great football team, but the reason they'll be tough to beat out as the second seed in the NFC is their remaining schedule.

San Francisco will play the St. Louis Rams, Arizona Cardinals, Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks and St. Louis Rams. Those are games that the 49ers can win obviously, but four out of those five games are games that they should win.

The Saints remaining schedule is a little bit tougher but not that much tougher. The Saints will play the Detroit Lions on Sunday Night Football, Tennessee Titans, Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers.

It may be a little bit tougher, but the Saints look like they're catching their stride and I'm not so sure that the Green Bay Packers themselves can take this team down right now. They're finding their grove on offense with Jimmy Graham, Darren Sproles and Drew Brees, and it seems like every week Brees is breaking some kind of record.

In this game, Brees becomes the first quarterback in Saints' history to throw four passing touchdowns and score one rushing the ball.

The 49ers have a great defense and that will keep them in the thick of things for sure, but they could be cooling down. The 49ers could end up being another case of a team getting hot early in the season only to cool down right before the playoffs.

We'll find out more about that team in the upcoming weeks, but one thing we know for sure is that this Saints' team is heating up and they're doing it at the right time.

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As the song "Stand Up and Get Crunk" reigns throughout the stadium, the New York Giants know they failed to meet their objective.

It's a song that fans opposing clubs hate to hear, and it's a song that the New Orleans Saints' fans can't help but love. Every time the Saints score a touchdown, the song plays over the intercom and the crowd goes absolutely nuts.

It's become synonymous with the Saints in the Superdome and it's as popular as the chant of "who dat." The Saints dominated this football game, and they turned in a spectacular offensive performance. Led by Drew Brees, the Saints totaled 461 yards of total offense through three quarters.

This has been a near flawless performance by the Saints, and Brees continues to destroy the Giants. In four career games against the Giants, Brees has thrown for over 1,000 yards, 11 touchdowns and no interceptions.

In the same way that the New York Yankees were Pedro Martinez's "daddy," I think we could all agree that Brees owns the Giants. This was an impressive performance by the Saints, and one of their best offensive efforts of the year.

It's hard to top the performance the offense had against the Indianapolis Colts earlier this season where they turned in 557 yards of total offense, but they've had their way with this Giants' defense all game.

Jimmy Graham had two touchdown receptions and absolutely obliterated this defense with the mismatches he presented. It's obvious that the Saints were planning on targeting those mismatches in this game and target them they did.

The defense showed vulnerability in some situations but for the most part they played well. But then again, with an offense like the Saints, you don't have to be that dominant on the defensive side of the football.

The Giants fought hard and made some big plays here and there, but Brees and his group were just too much for them on this Monday night.

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Jon Gruden said during the broadcast that he never wanted to play the New Orleans Saints following a bye, and it's become clear why.

The credit should be given to Sean Payton, the coaching staff and the entire team because football is a team effort, but Drew Brees is one of the main reasons why this team is so good following a loss.

We all know he can sling it, but one of Brees' best qualities is his commitment to prepare for the upcoming ball game. If this guy gets an extra week, you might as well jot down a "w" in the win/loss column for the Saints.

Better yet, you Saints' fans might as well jot that "w" on your refrigerator right now, because Brees is on fire. He has a passer rating of 138.3, 321 yards, three passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown to go along with zero interceptions.

What an impressive performance by Brees, and there's still a lot of time left in this football game. With five minutes remaining in the third quarter, you know Brees and that Saints' offense will be getting the football once again.

And as I type this, Tracy Porter forces a fumble on third down. This play will be reviewed, and whether it's overturned or not, the Saints will still be getting the football.

Time for Brees to post more gaudy stats to an already impressive night of work.

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This is getting ridiculous.

I'm sorry, but I'm so sick and tired of referees throwing flags on legal hits, and just about any time a player lays a finger on a quarterback a filthy yellow flag hits the ground.

I can't tell you how frustrated I get when I see this, and there has already been two occurrences in this game that it's happened.

The first was a roughing the passer call on Will Smith in the first half that was absolutely bogus. Smith didn't lead with his helmet and gave Eli Manning a shove to let him know he was coming. Wouldn't you know it, a flag soon followed.

From a purist's point of view, this is not football. Football is about men going to battle on the field and there are going to be big hits that happen, but that's just a part of the game. Well, the "No Fun League" is nipping that in the bud, and it couldn't upset me any more.

The next call was the worst, and it was on Isa Abdul-Quddus. Abdul-Quddus laid out Hakeem Nicks in what was a game-changing play. It was a clean hit, but you know how those referees are that work for the No Fun League.

The hit energized the Saints' defense and it was going to force the Giants into a third-and-long, but instead they got the unnecessary roughness call and ended up scoring on a Brandon Jacobs run. The game changed with a toss of a yellow clothe.

The penalties on big hits not only frustrate us fans, but they could really hurt a team and change momentum. The momentum has changed in this one because of it, and now we'll see if it hurts the Saints.

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The New Orleans Saints lead the New York Giants 21-3 at the half, and they've turned in a dominant performance on the offensive side of the ball.

Going into this game, many fans believed this would be a gritty, hard-fought contest between two teams that need to win and cause some separation in their respected divisions. So far they were wrong.

The Saints have out-gained the Giants 354 yards to 200. Can you say domination? It's a quarterbacks league, and Drew Brees is proving that if you have a great quarterback, you're going to be difficult to stop.

Brees has already thrown for 264 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. And some people question if this guy is elite. Just ask the Giants if he's elite, and I'm sure they'll answer with a resounding yes!

It's not just Brees though, it's the system, the coaches and the scheme that this team employs that allows them to be so successful. The Saints have players like Jimmy Graham, Darren Sproles and an onslaught of wide receivers that are more than capable of gutting the defense.

Defenses can't afford to play man against this team because of the mismatch Graham provides, and when defenses play zone, Lance Moore and Marques Colston find the holes in the coverage and make teams play.

That's just what the Saints have done offensively in the first half against the Giants, and if they get their running game going as well, you might as well live to fight another day.

As for the defense, well they've given up a few big plays to Eli Manning, but the turnover they caused near the end zone proved to be a game-changer. Will Herring's interception in the end zone was the swing in momentum the Saints needed, and there was no looking back from that point on.

With the second half coming up, the only thing stopping these Saints from going 8-3 would be a total collapse on offense, defense and special teams. Luckily, the Saints have a knack for "finishing strong."

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The New Orleans Saints may have one of the best offenses in the league, but defense wins championships.

Don't believe me? Well, look at the Saints magical season in 2009 that saw them bring home the Lombardi Trophy. Sure, that offense could move the ball and was the best offense in the league, but the defense created turnovers.

That was the biggest difference in the 2009 season and the 2010 season for the Saints, and it could be the key factor on whether or not the Saints win another Super Bowl.

Just look at this game. The Saints drive down the field on the opening drive, the drive stall, they fail to convert on the fake and the Giants start marching down the field.

The Giants take the ball all the way down the field, and it was beginning to look like a touchdown score was inevitable. But what happened? The Saints defense made a huge play and Will Herring picked off one of Eli Manning's passes.

The Saints get the ball back, the offense gets going once again and this time they find the end zone. That turnover changed the game in the same way that the turnovers changed the 2009 season for the Saints.

Look, you don't have to convince me that the Saints' offense is talented, diverse and downright deadly. I know that, but I also have been watching football long enough to know that defense wins championships. The Saints' defense isn't the worst in the league, but they're not the best either. They will give up big plays, but it all comes down to them making big plays themselves by causing turnovers.

It's essential for the Saints, and it could very well be the difference between another magical season or just another Saints' season full of disappointments.

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If there's one offensive group in the NFL that can hang with Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers, it's the New Orleans Saints.

It took the Saints a quarter, but there's no way possible you can shut these guys out. I don't care what anyone says Drew Brees is an elite quarterback and will always be in the argument of who the best quarterback in the league is.

Brees is exactly what Jon Gruden and the gang call him, he's a surgeon. He picks apart the defense, and he forces them on their heels until the Saints can do just about whatever they want.

Whether it be throwing to Darren Sproles out of the backfield, throwing to Jimmy Graham down the field or finding Lance Moore to go up 7-0 on the New York Giants, this offense is deadly.

After only having two possessions, the Saints have already posted 170 yards of total offense. That's impressive friends, and they're going to need that kind of offense should they meet the Packers down the road.

But like I said in an earlier post, that's down the road, and right now, they need to make sure they take care of business against the Giants. No worries just yet, as they're offense is clicking with no signs of stopping any time soon.

What the Saints present on offense is causing troubles for the Giants just like every other team that encounters this explosive group. The Saints possess an amazing quarterback delivering the ball, athletic receivers on the outside that are able to find holes in the zone, establish a rushing attack, use Darren Sproles to gut the defense and use Jimmy Graham's God-gifted talent to cause mismatches all over the field.

Very few times do you hear an offense being described as a freight train, but that's exactly what this Saints' offense is. And I think it's going to take a little more than a couple Giants to stop this demolition crew. The Saints will get the ball back after the Giants reduced the lead to 7-3 with a field goal.

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With the New Orleans Saints coming out smoking, faking a field goal and the New York Giants moving the ball like they're a team on a mission, this could be an instant classic.

I know it's early, really early I might add, but there's an intensity being shown between both of these teams that make me think of playoff football.

One minute, I'm looking down at my phone and the next minute my mouth is wide open shouting, "Holy fake field goals batman!" To say that play caught me off guard would be an understatement, and I can't say that I hate the call.

Sure, it would have been nice to get some points on the board, but I can't argue with Payton pulling out all the stops on Monday Night Football and getting the ball to Jimmy Graham at that.

As for right now, the Giants are really moving the ball on that Saints' defense and they're making the Saints look soft. Manning is on fire, Brandon Jacobs is steamrolling defenders and it's looking like all Giants.

Well, that was until former Seattle Seahawks linebacker Will Herring picked Manning off in the end zone. Manning went deep over the middle, and Herring made a fantastic play to pick the ball off in the back of the end zone.

This game is fast-paced and it's full of many turns and twists early. Like I said earlier, this game is looking like it's going to be, what we call in the south,  a barn-burner.

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The last time I checked the New Orleans Saints were playing the New York Giants, right?

All of this talk leading up to the game and chatter on Monday Night Countdown has been about the Saints building towards beating the Green Bay Packers, and who would you pick if the Saints met them.

That's not only irrelevant at this point and time, but it's extremely disrespectful to not only Giants' players but to their fanbase. Look as a Saints fan, I just want them to pick up the win tonight and make the playoffs.

Nothing is guaranteed in the NFL, and tonight's game is very important for the Saints if they want to win another world championship. Don't get me wrong. I think this team will make the playoffs and ultimately play the Packers, but let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet.

This is a tough game against a very good G-Men squad, and Eli Manning is playing great football. It makes me nervous just thinking about everyone overlooking this clash with this talented bunch, but the Drew Brees and the Saints are about to take the field now.

I have no doubts that this team is focused and ready to play on Monday night as they've always been under head coach Sean Payton. In just two plays, the Saints get a first down, and it's nice to see Mark Ingram back in the offense.

After three plays, the Saints are already at midfield, and it looks like this offense is cooking. Everyone before the game might have been talking about the Saints playing the Packers in the playoffs, but I think with the way these Saints have come out of the gate, they want everyone to be talking about this game afterwards.

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As we near kickoff in this battle on the bayou on Monday Night Football, Drew Brees and Eli Manning are the most talked about subjects entering the game.

Brees is having one of his best years as he's boasting an impressive 70.9 completion percentage, 23 touchdowns with 11 interceptions and 3,326 passing yards. His passing yards through 10 games remarks the most passing yards in the history of the NFL through 10 games, and he's on pace to breaking Dan Marino's season record for most passing yards.

But before Brees was the most beloved quarterback in the state of Louisiana and the city of New Orleans, that title belonged to Archie Manning. And don't think for a minute that the folks over at ESPN haven't been playing up the fact that one of Archie's boys is playing his old team.

Yes, one of New Orleans' favorite sons is coming back home, but instead of bringing a gang of Colts, he's bringing a bunch of Giants. It's not the magical Peyton vs. Drew matchup that we saw at Super Bowl 44 in 2009, but Eli is having himself quite a season.

He's passed for over 2,950 yards, 18 touchdowns and only nine interceptions. Perhaps even more impressive that those statistics, if Manning throws for 50 yards and two touchdowns, he will record his seventh consecutive season with 3,000 passing yards and 20 touchdowns in just the 11th game of the season.

If that doesn't impress you then what about Brees completed at least 20 passes in 30 straight games. Yeah, that's an NFL record.

So both quarterbacks are playing great football, and you couldn't ask for a better setup for a must-win game between two great teams.

Manning faced questions this offseason on whether or not he considered himself as elite and received some flack for answering with confidence. It just so turns out that this guy is elite, and he's proving it once again this season.

But let's not forget who's at the top of the line when it comes to quarterbacks. He might not be playing as well as Aaron Rodgers is right now, but he's only a small step behind. I can't wait to see these two quarterbacks dual it out with kickoff minutes away.