Very interesting situation in this conference. New Orleans is winning with an offense that is looking like the best in the league right now and offenses tend to like warmer weather which it looks like they may have for most of the rest of the season.

So far their Net Points are leading the league.

Even if they don't get Brees that championship he wants so much their still going to be a lot of fun to watch.

drew brees has been awesome.

What they said!

They have potentially two games in cold weather, and the final game at Carolina may be a stretch. There are a few tough matchups but if their defense can do enough, their offense might carry them to home-field throughout the playoffs.

With a shootout win at Miami the question for the Saints now becomes "How long can the offense keep putting up these numbers to cover for a defense that is getting sloppy?"

DAMNNNN! The game tonight between N'awlins & HAWTlanta is just wow!

Bookies must be making a killing taking bets on when the Saints halo will be removed.

Unless there's a surprise coming - and injuries like the one to the center last night are the most likely ones - the best chance right now looks like the Pats who by the end of this month will probably have the best defense the Saints have seen so far this year.

Siants' defense has come to life in the nick of time. Three interceptions of Brees in a single game is not a frequent occurence, so they were in some real danger when that happened against the Rams.

If there were any doubts about where the Saints are headed, I think tonight's domination of the Patriots put that to rest. Drew Brees threw almost effortlessly for 5 TDs. If I have to root for a team outside of my home city to win the Superbowl it will be this team for pure excitement and class.

Yep!

Didn't see the game because the BF wanted to watch something else.

Saints must have been high as a kite waiting for this game. Normally one would expect a letdown and sloppy play after such a win.

It's gonna be interesting and even more fun to watch how they handle this.

Brees must have been in a zone. He's even more beautiful to watch when he flows like that. I look forward to the replays.

Brady may have lost a step since his injury but it's hard to believe a Belichick defense could be treated that way.

Belichick basically gave up on the game w/ more than 5 minutes left (either that or he hoped that other players would spark something). He pulled Brady & others out & replaced them w/ backups. Talk about being frustrated w/ your team & sending a msg to them! Oy!

I was starting to wonder if Belichick pulled a Brett Favre. Remember he layed down to give Michael Strayhan a tackling record.

The NFL has a real sentimental story in the Saints going to the Superbowl after Katrina. And having a southern team wouldn't hurt either.

But the Pats lost this week, even though it was close, shows that they have lost their edge. Other teams, both pro and college, have copied the Pats management and coaching styles so the advantage they had has slipped.

With parity in the NFL - and I still believe the draft system has worked to cause that - coaching and management have become key in winning games. Moral is also more important now. And motivating players is tricky when money is roughly equal.

I think it's made the game more fun to watch personally.

Fingers crossed, I would LOVE to see a Saints v. Colts Super Bowl. What an exciting game that would be, imho!

Read here.

DAMMIT N.O. Not too surprised though. The Saints won their last 2 games by 3 points. Should've lost to the Deadskins and the Cowboys played a must win game and played some great ball. Hopefully Philly can come through tomorrow to keep the lead in the East, but damn....let the damn December bums beat you in your own house going for perfection. Somewhere Don Shula is excited because I don't think Indy plays all the way through with starters.

Might be bitter to hear for the Saints fans but this lose may do them more good than harm. Fairweather fans will now be putting less pressure on them to go unbeaten and leave them to return to a strategy of preparing for one game at a time.

I suspect the recent close games and this lose are partly attributable to the other teams finally figuring out that a QB who is barely six feet tall - generously - should not be having his way with six-foot-six defensive linemen who only need to stick their hands up in the air to give him trouble.

And defenses overall tend to tire later in the season just as they do later in games. So the teams with the most aerobically healthy defenses have the better chance of holding out on that end.

The Saints defense has asked to play above its grade whenever the offense can't score 30 points.

And now the Saints lose to Tampa Bay! They've played like frauds the last few weeks. I think the entire league is wide-open. No team is a cinch to get to the Super Bowl.

Maybe it's better for any team that is already in the playoffs to ease up and avoid injuries - especially with the recent emphasis on concussions.

And if coaches won't pull their best players, it is better if the players themselves ease up for the same reason. All the pressure of a "perfect season" just increases the likelihood of a misstep that causes the end of the players season - or even his career - because of the cummulative fatigue of the previous games.

Any division leader might benefit from saving energy for that burst needed in the critical games.

There may be a risk of losing that competitive psychological edge, but risk is what it's about. You have to balance them.