Saints vs. Packers: Why Drew Brees Will Steal the Show Thursday Night

The NFL picked a good one to start the season with. Okay, that's an understatement. This game will be a lot of fun.

We get to watch the last two Super Bowl Champions go at it.

If you're a fan of quarterbacks, this will be a good one.

Drew Brees against Aaron Rodgers. Quite simply, these are two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. They are the last two Super Bowl MVP's, and neither were flukes.

The Packers are a loaded team. Their Super Bowl championship team is largely intact.

There is one place where it's not intact though, and that's the defensive line. Cullen Jenkins is off to Philadelphia and the Packers have had a hard time finding the right alignment to replace him.

What does that mean as it relates to this game?

It means that the Saints will be able to focus on Clay Matthews. He's still too good to take for granted, even with extra attention.

But the Packers pass rush will not be anywhere near good enough to put consistent pressure on Brees. They will be fine as the season gets going, but Week 1 will pose a problem.

If you can't put pressure on Drew Brees, you are not going to have a good game. Yes, you can drop back defenders, but if he has time to throw, he'll burn you.

The Saints have no shortage of weapons to throw the ball to. A quarterback of Brees' caliber will not focus on one or two guys. If there is a man open and he's an eligible New Orleans receiver, Brees will find him.

It doesn't matter if that guy is sixth on the depth chart, he'll get the ball if he's open.

The Packers are a good team. They will go a long way this year. Dom Capers will eventually find an alignment of players on the defensive line that will work.

But that’s something that will wait until later in the year. If Brees isn’t bothered, he will have a monster game. The Packers will be hurt by a shortened Training Camp here. If they had more time to find a good formula on the line, this would be a different story.

But as it is now, their defensive line is too inexperienced, at least in the roles that they will be playing. Brees will have a strong game and lead his team to a big road win.