Saints whip Patriots 38-17 in Monday Night Showdown in the Big Easy

New Orleans Saints 38, New England Patriots 17 - Final

November 30, 2009

NEW ORLEANS, LA - Drew Brees passed for 371 yards and five touchdowns to five differnet receivers, and the Saints racked up 480 yards of total offense in a 38-17 thrashing of Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in a Monday Night Football Showdown at the Superdome in New Orleans.

The dominant performance by the Saints over one of the AFC's top teams erased any doubt the Saints are legitimate contenders to not only make a run deep into the playoffs, but also finish the regular season with an unblemished record. With the win, the Saints joined the Indianapolis Colts at 11-0, with the toughest part of New Orleans' schedule behind them.

After forcing the Saints to punt late in the first quarter, Wes Welker broke off a 41 yard return all the way down to the Saints' 46. However, on New England's first play from scrimmage following Welker's return, Tom Brady threw a costly interception to Saints' newly-signed cornerback Mike McKenzie, who returned the ball up to the Saints' 41. Seven plays later, Drew Brees found Pierre Thomas on a short pass that Thomas ran 18 yards into the end zone to give the Saints a 10-7 lead.

The Patriots were forced to punt on their next possession. On the Saints first play from scrimmage following an 11 yard return of the punt by New Olreans receiver Devery Henderson, Brees connected with Henderson on a 75 yard touchdown pass that put the Saints up 17-7.

New England responded with a field goal to close the gap to a touchdown. Then the Saints offense decided to put the game out of reach.

Brees began the drive with a 27 yard completion to Pierre Thomas. That was followed by a 35 yard pass to Henderson, and a 25 yard completion to Saints' tight end David Thomas. One play later, it was Drew Brees throwing as perfect a pass as you'll ever see --- a 38 yard touchdown to receiver Robert Meachem.

The teams exchanged touchdowns one more time before the Saints Defense stifled Tom Brady and the Patriots offense, and the running game pounded New England's defense as it slowly and painfully ran out the clock.

Brady finished with 21 completions in 36 attempts, with no touchdowns and two interceptions: McKenzie's first quarter pick and one in the fourth quarter to safety Darren Sharper, his eighth pick of the season.

Thomas and Mike Bell combined for 114 yards on the ground on 24 carries, and Thomas had three receptions for 23 yards and a touchdown.

Lawrence Maroney had two rushing touchdowns to go along with 64 yards on the ground on 15 carries.

Saints WR Marques Colston finished with 121 yards receiving on four catches, including a 68 yard reception and a 20 yard TD pass from Brees. Devery Henderson, who has led the NFL in yards-per-catch in each of the past three seasons, had 116 yards on only three catches including the 75 yard strike for a touchdown.

Saints defensive end Will Smith continued his torrid play, registering 1 and 1/2 sacks on Brady.

Quick Hits:

This was the second time the 7-4 Patriots have lost to an unbeaten team on the road in the past three weeks.
This was only Tom Brady's fourth career game in which he registered multiple interceptions without throwing a touchdown pass.
Brees' five touchdown passes were the most ever allowed against a Bill Belichick-coached defense.
The Saints win snapped the Patriots' 17 game winning streak in regular season games against NFC teams.
Saints WR Devery Henderson set a franchise record with his third touchdown reception of more than 75 yards.

The Patriots take on the 5-6 Miami Dolphins next week, while the Saints take on the 3-8 Washington Redskins on the road next Sunday.

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