Patriots-Saints: Battle on the Bayou Prediction

Overview:   The Patriots and Saints will square off in a Monday Night heavyweight fight. The Patriots (7-3) will take on yet another undefeated team in the Saints (10-0) in prime time. New Orleans and New England are ranked one and two in offensive yards per game, so this game should be a shootout. A win by the Patriots would show everyone that they can win in a hostile environment, something they couldn’t do in New York, Denver or Indianapolis. A win by the Saints would give them their first win against a bona fide playoff team.

Last Week: The Patriots put away division rival New York with a 31-14 pounding at Gillette Stadium, avenging a loss earlier in the season. Leigh Bodden picked off Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez three times and brought one to the house. Wes Welker gashed New York for 15 catches and 192 yards. The Jets are all but eliminated from the AFC East race.

New Orleans kept marching on, pummeling lesser opponents. Last week’s victim was the lowly Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Saints struggled early but pulled away en route to a 38-7 win.

All-Time Series: This will be the first meeting between the clubs in four years. The Patriots beat the Aaron Brooks-led Saints 24-17 on Nov. 20, 2005 at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots lead the all time series 8-3 dating back to 1972.

This will be New England’s first visit to the Crescent City since they won Super Bowl XXXVI versus St. Louis on February 3, 2002.

Key Questions Entering Week Eleven:

New England Patriots:  Can the Patriots win on the road?  New England only has one “road” win on their resume with a win over Tampa in London. The Patriots have not faired will in hostile environments versus the Jets, Broncos and Colts. In each of those games, their offense evaporated in the second half.

The Patriots will not be able to have a lackluster offensive effort versus the Saints. New Orleans can score at any time from any place on the field. The Patriots will have to answer each Saints score with one of their own to have a chance.

New Orleans Saints: Can the Saints beat a battle tested team? New Orleans has not faced an offense like New England’s who is hitting on all cylinders after struggling earlier in the season.

Can their defense stop the Patriots? There is no doubt they have the offensive punch to go toe-to-toe with the Pats, but the defense will be key.

Can Payton out-coach Belichick? It will be the offensive renegade versus the defensive mastermind. It should be a great chess match.

Pla yers To Watch:

New England Patriots: The Patriots defense, can they stop Drew Brees, Marques Colston and the Saints now-potent running game?

New Orleans Saints: The Saints defense, can they thwart Tom Brady, Wes Welker and Randy Moss?

Predictions:  The Patriots are finally poised for a big victory on the road. I believe they have learned their lessons from the Colts game meltdown. They need to keep the offensive pressure on the Saints and they can not let New Orleans wrestle the game away from them.

This will be a great showcase of two of the top offensive units in the league. Tom Brady and Drew Brees will make fantasy football owners very happy when they put on an offensive showcase on Monday Night Football.

The game will come down to who has the ball last and whose defense can stop their opponent more. We all know both teams will score; it’s just a matter of what defense will make the biggest play. Both the Saints (+10) and Patriots (+12) are ranked amongst the top in takeaways.

I smell a big play by Jerod Mayo or pick-pocket Leigh Bodden.

Final Score: Patriots 35, Saints 31

Joe Gill is a featured blogger for Boston Sports Then and Now , Rootzoo.com . and Trufan.com