5 Reasons Saints Go All The Way: Sat With Cowboys, Feb With Bowl Win

"Saints Still Perfect After Another Tight Win"

"Saints Survive Another Close Call to Remain Perfect"

"Saints Survive Scare to Beat (fill in the blank)"

Don't let the headlines fool you. These were the same types of headlines you saw during the time between the Giants game and the Patriots game, only it was talk of the comeback kids. The same pattern is emerging. The Cowboys come out of the Superdome late Saturday night as dejected and hopeless as the Patriots were a few weeks ago.

5 reasons the Saints will beat the Cowboys, then the Superbowl...

5. Cowboys' December Blues

It's got to be playing heavily on their minds. In December over the past few years, they've had 5 wins and 12 losses, including 2 playoff losses in January, one under the coaching of Parcells, the other under the coaching of Phillips, and all under the "leadership" of Romo. They're second guessing themselves, and that's not an attitude to have going into the Superdome on a Saturday playing the undefeated Saints this year.

4. History

History only counts when it's relevant history, and in football, that would mean same coach, mostly the same coaching staff, same quarterback, and mostly the same players. So, in this case, we go back to 2006 when Brees came on with the Saints.  The last time the Cowboys and Saints met up was December 10, 2006, and the Saints smoked them 42-17. And it was in Dallas on their own turf. Wasn't even in the Dome. Phillips vs Payton, Brees vs Romo, and the Saints shut them down. Give me one reason, just one, I dare you, why this time will be any different, except for how much better the Saints are this year and my reason number one.

3. Brees vs Romo

This is a very close matchup, but Brees comes out on top in accuracy and yardage. Brees has a passer rating of 112 and a completion percentage of 70 while Romo is at a 97 passer rating and a 62 completion percentage. In passing yards, Brees has 3832 while Romo has 3574. It's a close matchup and I know stats don't mean much when the players are on the field any given Sunday at the mercy of so many other factors, but it's something to look at going into the game.

Even closer matchups are between Brees and Manning then Brees and Favre, both having completion percentages within a point of Brees. We'll see the Vikings in a few weeks (will be a tough one for the Saints, but they're capable of winning it) and the Colts in the Superbowl.

2. Home-field Advantage

Superdome Saturday night week before Christmas in the Superdome - don't get much better than that for the boys! Romo will look as lost and confused as Brady did.

As for the playoffs, the Saints will be playing the unfortunate ones in the dome. It will be tough for the Vikings or anyone else up against their first ever playoff game on their own turf.

1. Darren Sharper and Company

Darren Sharper and Company are the reason the Saints are so fearsome! The Saints have had 24 interceptions, 5 of which turned TDs. The only other team with more is Buffalo with 25 (2 of which turned TD), and the Saints won't be facing them again this year. Of the top 100 so far this year, the Saints have 5, count them, 5 different interceptors, each with multiple interceptions.

Darren Sharper - 8 (3 TDs)

Tracy Porter - 3 (1 TD)

Jonathan Vilma - 3

Jabari Greer - 2 (1 TD)

Scott Shanle - 2

That doesn't add up to 24 because there are the others (6) who didn't make the top 100 list, each making one interception each. That means you have at least 11 defenders, yes, 11, that have the potential to make game changing plays. When interceptions become consistent and expected, what hope does the other team have?

How do the other teams stack up?

Dallas - 9 interceptions (1 TD), 6 of them from two players, Terrence Newman 2 and Mike Jenkins 4

Minnesota - 9 interceptions (0 TDs), 5 of them from two players, Cedric Griffin 3 and Chad Greenway 2

Indy - 16 interceptions 9 (2 TDs), 11 of them from 4 players, Antoine Bethea 4, Jacob Lacey 3 (1 TD), Clint Session 2 (1 TD), and Tim Jennings 2

And that is why Indy is the Saints' only competition! Okay, maybe the Vikings, too, cause they're just so scary. But then again, the Saints are just as scary and they'll have all those freaky fans shouting to the top of their lungs blowing the roof off the dome!