Patriots (7-3) at Saints (10-0)
Monday, 8:30 p.m.
Line: Saints by 3
Calling this the greatest Saints team ever assembled isn’t high praise. There are few challengers for the title: the Dome Patrol team coached by Jim Mora the Elder in the early 1990s and the post-Katrina 2006 upstarts, who were like Australopithecus to this year’s more evolved Homo habilis. The 2009 Saints are two victories from the franchise record, and their first playoff win will be the third in team history.
The current Saints merit comparison to great non-Saints teams of recent history. Boston-area fans bristle at comparisons to the 2007 Patriots, but the Saints’ undefeated record, deep roster of offensive stars and ability to overwhelm opponents looks familiar.
Bill Belichick, who hopes to end all undefeated talk on Monday night, compared the Saints to another great offense. “They kind of look, in some ways, a little bit like the Rams did back in 2001,” he said. Always careful with his message (when he deigns to deliver one), Belichick didn’t chose the 1999 Rams championship team, but the 2001 team that lost the Super Bowl to his Patriots.
New Orleans has not been truly tested all season. Games that looked tough on the schedule (against the Eagles, the Giants, the Dolphins and the Falcons) were just pop quizzes against the N.F.L.’s petite bourgeoisie. The Patriots are among the league’s ruling class, so Monday’s game offers our best indication of what the Saints can do against the Vikings in the playoffs or against the A.F.C.’s standard-bearers in the Super Bowl.
