NFL Playoff Schedule 2012: Saints Will March Through 49ers' Vaunted Defense

The New Orleans Saints are not done scoring with abandon. In fact, they are just getting started. 

After facing one team with a stout defense that was supposed to rip through and murder Drew Brees, they will get to crack another. 

Last Saturday, we saw what cream rising to the top looked like on the field. The Detroit Lions looked like they were going to disrupt a string of games that saw the Saints score over 40 points in three straight games. All Drew Brees needed was time to crack one of the toughest defenses on the planet. 

After that, it was all Saints. The machine began rolling and Brees was racking up completions, getting all his favorites involved. 

On Saturday, the Saints get to see yet another defense that promises to thwart offense with hard hits. Have we learned nothing?

I have no doubt that the 49ers have the defense to keep the Saints at bay, but only for a half. The Niners will no doubt get Brees running out of the pocket, and may even hit him to the turf—but not all game. 

San Francisco has taken the ground-and-pound as far as they can. At some point they were going to meet their match, and the aerial wizard known as Drew Brees will deliver the crushing blow. 

The fact is, Brees is just playing in a different realm right now. When you throw for 466 yards and three touchdowns on one of the best pass-rushes in the game, you are feeling it. 

I love the Niners against most teams, but not one that is putting up 40 points like it were their morning chores. San Francisco is capable in the secondary, but they have been far more mediocre than I would hope for this season. 

Brees and the Saints will continue on their Super Bowl march using an offensive attack that feeds on any and all defensive measures. 

Follow @gabezal