The Superdome: A House of Mixed Memories
(Editor’s note: First off, make sure you enter your prediction for this game over at THIS POST from Wednesday. The person who chooses the correct winner and closest TOTAL score (Pats sore + Saints score) will win the December 1st SupahFans.com “Enterting Foxborough” long-sleeve!
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The last time the Patriots were at the Superdome, Lonnie Paxton was doing euphoric “snow angels” in a pile of confetti. Lawyer Milloy and Bill Belichick shared a hug on the artificial turf that will be imprinted in the memories of every Patriots fan who waited nearly 40 years for their team’s first Superbowl victory.
However, in more recent times, the Superdome has seen a lifetime’s worth of tragedy, triumph of human spirit, and the rebirth of one of the NFL’s most beloved franchises. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Saints have hovered above .500 and have one playoff victory under their belts since returning to the Superdome with Drew Brees, Sean Payton, Reggie Bush, and a new outlook of hope and confidence.
Now, the Saints are the NFL’s best in scoring and total offense, and rank in the top 6 in both passing and rushing. In addition, their defense, which has been their achille’s heel in recent years despite having a perennial offensive machine which affords them a greater margin of error than most other teams, has been phenomenal. They lead the NFL in both interceptions and defensive touchdowns, and have collected 24 sacks as a team on the year. New Orleans’ Saints have started the 2009 season 10-0, and one of the last remaining great challenges to their quest for a perfect season is the only team to ever complete a 16-game regular season without a loss: The New England Patriots.
Belichick, Brady & Associates are 3rd in the NFL in scoring offense and 2nd in total offense to the Saints, including the 2nd-best mark in the NFL is passing offense at over 300 yards per game. Contrary to what seems to be popular belief in the pre-game hype surrounding what may turn out to be the NFL’s version of a Home Run Derby, the Patriots also possess a solid running game, averaging over 110 yards per game on the ground despite losing two of their top-3 running backs to injury. And, if not for the team hitting the “Self-Destruct” button instead of Staples’ “Easy Button” with a 17-point lead in the 4th quarter a couple of weeks ago, they would have already taken down the other undefeated team on their home turf.
Besides the significant advantage that comes with playing your games inside of a sound wave-hoarding dome, the Saints also have fortune on their side in terms of injuries, with numerous Patriots banged up on both the offensive and defensive lines.
However, the clear and crucial advantage the Patriots have in this game is experience. Not only do many of their players have playoff and Super Bowl experience, they have played more than a few hard-fought games this season, as well as one soul-crushing, lunch-money-stealing, hope-slaughtering loss that will be teaching them lessons for weeks to come. Conversely, the Saints, though they have played in some close games in which they’ve had to come from behind to pull out a victory, haven’t been truly challenged this season. At the very least, not challenged like they will be on Monday night.
Despite the scary number of interceptions New Orleans has accumulated this season, followed by Ed Reed-type runbacks for touchdowns more than a few times, the Saints can be thrown on. Two not-so-memorable performances for the Saints defensive backfield include Marc Bulger and the lowly Rams gaining 298 yards through the air, and a ghastly showing against Philadelphia Eagles’ backup quarterback Kevin Kolb in which the 3rd year 2nd-stringer torched them for 391 yards. But, as always, the most important thing to remember is that the Saints won. Just like they have all ten times they’ve taken the field this season.
This may be one of the highest-ranking games on the official “NFL Fun-Game Scale,” with two of the five quarterbacks currently in a tie for the league’s MVP trophy (Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning, and Brett Favre being the other three) ready to let Randy Moss, Marques Colston, Wes Welker, and Jeremy Shockey loose and see who comes out on top after 60 minutes of vicious air assaults. In a game in which 98% of the scoring may be thre air, does anyone else see this game coming down to a field goal?
Random Predictions:
Tom Brady: 38/46, 416 yards, 4 TD, 1 Int
Drew Brees: 41/50, 442 yards, 4 TD, 2 Int
Randy Moss: 10 receptions, 192 yards, 3 TD (This is what the Saints will get for overcompensating for Wes Welker after his monster game last week)
Marques Colston: 9 receptions, 165 yards, 2 TD
Wes Welker: 10 receptions, 124 yards
Jeremy Shockey: 6 receptions, 91 yards, 2 TD
Stephen Gostkowski: 3/3 FG, Including one to win the game with less than 7 seconds left.
Official Prediction:
New England 37, New Orleans 35
Craig’s prediction:
Pats 28-24
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