New Orleans Saints: Why the Saints Have a Chance to Grab Control of NFC for Good

You have to hand it to the NFL. Choosing to kick off the 2011 season by showcasing the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers was a stroke of genius.

As many have already opined, this game has everything. It will be a matchup between the last two Super Bowl champions, both of whom have explosive offenses and defenses that are more than up to the task of providing excitement.

For the Packers, the 2011 opener is essentially another chapter in the legend that they started crafting late in the 2010 season. Seemingly overnight, they went from being a fringe playoff team to a juggernaut and won the Super Bowl. Many expect them to do the same this year.

For the Saints, on the other hand, the 2011 opener is more like a statement game. Everyone knows that the Saints are a better team than they were in 2010, but the way in which last year ended for them has a lot of people adding a little caution to their optimism.

Rightfully so.

The Saints team that lost to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC wild card round just didn't look like a very good team. The offense was too pass-heavy and the defense too leaky. If ever there was a sign that the 2009 champs had truly fallen back to earth, that was it.

Considering this, people are right to ask why we should believe the Saints are going to once again be as dominant as they were two years ago. That season, they went 13-3 and eventually defeated the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl.

It may or may not be a fair question to ask—it probably isn't—but the pressure is on the Saints to answer it anyway. They can do just that by pulling out a win over the defending champs, and on their home turf, no less.

Needless to say, that's going to be easier said than done. While the Saints defense obviously has their work cut out for them as they face Aaron Rodgers and his array of weapons, the Saints are not going to win this game unless Drew Brees and his own array of weapons can find a way to navigate the Packers defense.

That too will be easier said than done.

The Packers boast one of the beastliest and most unpredictable pass rushes in the league. Brees will have to be on the lookout for Clay Matthews at all times. Even when he is able to get passes off, he's going to have to be careful with them. Charles Woodson and Tramon Williams form arguably the best cornerback tandem in the NFL, while Williams in particular has shown a knack for the big interception.

Brees is certainly capable of overcoming these obstacles, but we can probably expect Sean Payton to flex his upgraded rushing attack early and often in an effort to help Brees out.

We're finally going to see rookie Mark Ingram get put to a true test, but don't rule out Pierre Thomas and Darren Sproles making big contributions, too. The Saints have much more depth at the running back position than they did last year, and we can probably take it for granted that Payton will look to take full advantage of that fact.

The Saints are underdogs in this game, but they can definitely win it. If they do, it's going to have an effect on the big picture in the NFC.

The reason for that is simple.

These are easily two of the best teams in the conference, and both of them promise to be in the hunt for the conference's best record come the end of the year.

However, since the Saints play in probably the toughest division in the league, it's going to be much harder for them to come out on top when all is said and done. Having said that, if the Saints go into Lambeau Field and beat the defending champs, it's going to be hard to doubt them.

After that, who knows? Maybe it will become apparent that 2010 was an aberration, which would make the 2009 season the norm for this particular Saints team.

If so, watch out. The Saints will have their day. Again.