I never thought the Saints would stomp the Patriots 38-17 on Monday Night Football to win their eleventh game in a row. Or that Drew Brees would surgically throw five touchdowns with only five incompletions for a perfect passer rating.
Nor did I think that Mike McKenzie would play like a Pro Bowler after sitting out for a year and getting called up by the Saints just before Thanksgiving. With our starting cornerbacks out due to injuries, I was concerned mostly about the play of McKenzie and rookie Malcolm Jenkins. But McKenzie was making tackles all over the place and Jenkins stuck to Wes Welker like white on rice. Jenkins shut Welker down; I've never seen anyone do that before.
The passes were incredible. Brees kicked the game off with a dime to Devery Henderson and I'm sure all of Who Dat Nation knew it was going to be that kind of game.
Pierre Thomas got the Brees Machine rolling after pirouetting down the sideline on a screen pass for the first touchdown, 10-7.
And Henderson set the Superdome on fire when he caught a 75-yard pass -- the longest of the season -- for a touchdown in the second quarter. But give Brees all the credit for pump-faking to the left after staring to the left while the Patriots blitzed to free up Henderson on a seam route up the middle.
No one was around Henderson for 30 yards. That was embarrassing for the Patriots.
Yeah you right!
Even Mark Brunell ran onto the field to celebrate after Brees' pass to Devery.
Anthony Hargrove started the pressure on the quarterback with this sack of Golden Boy in the second quarter.
Linebacker Scott Fujita got him some of 'ol Golden Boy. And Will Smith and Bobby McCray did too.
The defense played awesome -- after that first touchdown drive by the Patriots, who twice had to go for it on fourth and one to get that score.
I admit I was surprised that coach Sean Payton dialed up a field goal in the first quarter instead of going for it on fourth and one at the goal line.
And Darren Sharper, of course, and "Predator" McKenzie came up with interceptions.
Robert Meachem scores on a 38-yard rope thrown by Brees in the second quarter.
Meachem and Mike Bell celebrate.
Predator is back! Seriously, I see McKenzie starting now that he's back with the Saints, at least until both Jabari Greer and Tracy Porter are completely healthy.
The Saints played perfectly against the Patriots in all aspects of the game, except for one big blunder: when defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis picked up a fumble and ran with it until he fumbled it right back to the Pats and then coach Payton threw away a challenge and a timeout on a play that was obviously a fumble. I mean Big Sed was still standing when the ball hit the turf!
And what was Big Sed thinking, anyway? That he was gonna release his inner little Darren Sharper?
But that's all I can rant about.
Even backup tight end Darnell Dinkins got a touchdown -- his first -- to become the 19th Saint to score this season.
Golden Boy and Darth Vader's chick watch the carnage from the sideline after throwing in the towel with about five minutes left in the game.
Brees confirms Vader's chick's suspicion about that lump and advises he should get that checked while ESPN sideline reporter Suzy Kolber waits for a kiss.
ELEVEN & EAUX!
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