The Packers should take note of what the Saints did on Monday night.  Those home divisional games are not to be taken lightly and now New Orleans stands at 7-0 and three games ahead of Atlanta.  Mark your calendars for November 30.  That's when the Saints return to Monday Night Football to take on the high octane Patriots.

Drew Brees notched another 300 yard game and threw for two touchdowns.  Marques Colston caught one of those scoring throws.  While the Packers are taking note of home victories they should also take note of when the 2010 NFL schedule comes out and if they play at noon on the opening weekend, they'd be wise to score first.

Brees 157-230 68.3% completion rate, 2,006 yds, 16 TDs, 6 INTs

Colston 36 recs, 551 yds, 6 TDs

Before we go head first into the first (and hopefully only) Brett Bowl at Lambeau Field let's take a look at this 31-3 win over Cleveland.  The big concerns for the Packers after last week's 26-0 win were pass protecting, running the football and taking advantage of opportunities.

It's one thing to give up five sacks to a team like Minnesota but five sacks to Detroit is unforgivable especially considering the injuries the Lions had to the defensive line.  The Browns got to Ben Roethlisberger three times last week and feature some decent players in the front seven.  But on this day the Packers kept Aaron Rodgers upright and allowed him to throw three scores while getting the fourth quarter off.  That's exactly the kind of performance you need heading into next week's matchup with the rugged Vikings defense.

The Packers opened the game by running the ball ten times in the first 11 plays.  Fans have been calling for more commitment to the ground game and it was clear that early on Mike McCarthy was going to do just that.  But there's a difference between quantity and quality.  Six of those carries were by Ryan Grant but by the end of the half Grant only had 12 carries.  Grant averaged four yards per carry but his longest run was only nine yards.  No explosion against a defense that ranks 31st against the run.  The second half was a different story.  Grant carried the ball 15 times for 100 yards, including a 37 yarder.  Now that's explosion and that's also where Ahman Green will eventually contribute.  Grant is neither a flashy nor a punishing runner but if he can stay fresh in the second half he can do some damage.

Last week the Packers had the ball in Detroit's territory three times in the second quarter.  The Packers came away with nine points.  Couldn't punch it in even once.  Obviously it didn't have an affect on the outcome but good teams exude good habits, including getting it in the end zone when you are given excellent field position.  The only drive that started in Cleveland territory ended with a touchdown but the Packers also had a drive that started at their own 48 off a turnover and stalled at the one yard line of all places.  Two turnovers led to 10 points and against Cleveland's anemic offense that was more than enough.

So how will this translate into success against Minnesota?  Anyone who saw the first matchup knows Minnesota has a fierce pass rush that disrupted Green Bay's offensive flow.  To be sure Minnesota's defense is far better than Cleveland's but coming into the Brett Bowl there won't be any questions about how the Packers looked so bad in protection against a weak team.  Again going back to that earlier matchup, the Packers will need to control the tempo and that will mean the same balanced attack that we saw today.  The best way to keep Adrian Peterson from taking over is to keep him off the field.  I'm not sure how many mistakes Brett Favre will make but both of his fourth quarter turnovers were returned for scores by Pittsburgh today.  The perfect example of a good team taking advantage of opportunities.

I'm not sure that we've seen the best from the Packers yet and I'm not sure if what we've seen over the last two weeks is enough to beat an upper echelon team.  But two wins in a row off a bye is enough to give any team in the NFL a shot of confidence coming into the biggest game of the season to date.

The Brees Index returns as New Orleans was on a bye last week.  Prior to the bye the Saints beat the New York Jets but did so with defense and the running of Pierre Thomas.  Brees has cooled off a bit but the Saints have not at 4-0.  New Orleans will now face the New York Giants tomorrow for NFC supremacy.  This will be a test for Brees as the Giants are deep and talented in the secondary.  The number for Brees and Marques Colston through four games:

Brees 87-129, 1031 yards, 9 TDs, 2 INTs

Colston 17 receptions, 228 yards, 3 TDs

Next weekend the first BCS standings will be revealed and college football will officially kick into high gear.  I try to ignore the preseason polls as much as possible but once October begins the usual jockeying for position becomes all important as teams try to get into the top two. 

As such I paid particular attention to this week's Top 25 and I was amazed at how the polls change with no rhyme or reason.  Both Boise State and USC were off last weekend but for some reason, the Trojans (a one-loss team mind you) leaped over the undefeated Broncos in the coaches poll.  In doing so it will become virtually impossible for Boise State to have a shot at playing in the national championship game unless USC loses again. 

Of course, since there's precedence for one loss teams to leapfrog over Boise State based on no merit whatsoever, Texas and Alabama will both have to lose twice.  Speaking of Texas, the Longhorns have struggled twice with unranked teams (Wyoming and Colorado) while not looking championship caliber in a revenge game against Texas Tech.  Florida has been more impressive but the Gators missed opportunities against Tennessee and LSU to pile on points late in the game.  So if Wisconsin Sports Weekend had a vote in the poll, this is what the Top 10 would look like:

1. Alabama

2. Florida

3. Texas

4. Boise State

5. Virginia Tech

6. Cincinnati

7. USC

8. Ohio State

9. Iowa

10. TCU

Marshawn Lynch Lynch returns from a three game suspension and he will put up numbers but not this week.  The Bills face a pretty decent run defense in Miami and there might be a bit of rust to shake off on Lynch's part.  There's also the Fred Jackson effect as Jackson impressed in his time filling in for Lynch.

Denver Defense A complete reversal from last week when I loved Denver's defense.  Don't be fooled by the numbers Denver has put up, the Broncos have faced three weak teams so far.  Dallas provides the first big test for Denver's defense and I won't be convinced until the Broncos can prove they can slow down a good offense.

The moment the last seconds ticked off the clock at the Metro and Edward Jones Dome last weekend, the focus has been on the Packers/Vikings matchup. I understand the hype and hysteria that surrounds this game, but think we have all become a little too saturated with it all.

Are you feeling the same way? If so (or even if you're not), I hope this short video can at least divert your attention for a short time and make you laugh...Lord know there will be plenty of anxious moments on Monday.

I present to you, a guy catching a laptop in his butt.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW (totally safe for kids and the workplace)

After 8 quarters the general thinking in the NFL was that Drew Brees could not be killed by conventional weapons.  But we learned two things after the Saints 27-7 win over Buffalo: Pierre Thomas can run and Buffalo has a solid defense.  The latter shouldn't be a big surprise.  After all, the Bills kept Tom Brady under wraps for 55 minutes in Week 1.

Brees finished 16-29 for 172 yards and no touchdowns.  Marques Colston was again the go-to guy with four catches for 67 yards.  Despite being held without a score Brees has 9 TDs and 841 yards with a still-impressive 69.1% completion rate.  Colston has 15 receptions for 195 yards.

Love

Vincent Jackson Without LaDanian Tomlinson San Diego is fast becoming a pass-happy team and that should translate into big numbers for San Diego's number one wide receiver.  Jackson torched Baltimore last week and should do the same against a Miami defense that gives up big plays

Kellen Winslow Everyone knows my thoughts on tight ends in fantasy football, they're like duty free...worthless.  So it takes a lot for me to think a tight end is a solid play.  However Winslow has become the number one target in Tampa Bay's pass offense with 12 catches and two scores.  However, New York's secondary is again banged up and Winslow should be the main target again.

Laurent Robinson There is nothing to shout about regarding the Rams offense but Robinson has quietly become the go-to guy.  There should be a steady dose of Steven Jackson against Green Bay but when St. Louis wants to air it out Marc Bulger will look to Robinson.  Remember, the Packers have injuries too and there's a still some wrinkles to smooth out in that 3-4 defense.

Trent Edwards Edwards has put up steady but unspectacular numbers in the first two games but this week Buffalo faces New Orleans.  The Bills will try to slow this game down but with Drew Brees on fire Buffalo will have to open up the offense to keep up.  This could be one of few really big days for Edwards.

San Francisco Defense Under Mike Singletary the 49ers have become a physical, run-first team that plays rugged defense.  That's pretty much what you would expect from Singletary.  Last week the Niners held Seattle to just 66 yards rushing and completely shut down the Seahawks in the second half.  Minnesota will be a much tougher test but the 49ers have proven they're up for the task.

Hate

Joseph Addai The Cardinals have been very good against the run in the first two weeks and that's a problem for the Volts, who still have trouble running the football.  Furthermore, backfield mate Donald Brown might start to take on a bigger role tonight as both the Colts and the Cards will throw a lot.  That means a lighter workload for Addai.

T.J. Houschmandzadeh It will either being the ailing Matt Hasselbeck or the unpolished Seneca Wallace at quarterback for Seattle.  Either way, Houschmandzadeh likely won't have a big role even though Chicago's secondary is still suspect.  The real concern is that T.J. hasn't scored yet at tight end John Carlson has emerged as the red zone target.

Matt Cassel We're quickly learning that Cassel's numbers last year were a product of the New England offense.  Cassel doesn't look anything like he did last year with Dwayne Bowe and Bobby Wade as his receivers.  It's raining in Philly, though it is expected to be dry by kickoff but the conditions might still be sloppy enough to force Kansas City to commit to the run more.

James Davis Originally I was going to put Jamal Lewis here but Lewis is out.  Davis might end up being one of the best rookie running backs but he won't get a chance to show it today against a Ravens defense that is still incredibly good against the run.

New York Giants Defense I mentioned earlier about New York's injuries but Chris Canty and Justin Tuck are also banged up, so Tampa Bay should be able to move the football both through the air and on the ground.  If not for a few bad bounces, Dallas would've sliced up New York's defense and with Tampa Bay being a far more conservative team the Giants likely won't get as many takeaways today.

On second thought, maybe creating a Halloween scene that reenacts Steve McNair's murder scene WASN'T such a great idea. I could see your drunken neighbor doing something this tasteless, but an amusement park? I hope someone lost their job because of this.

Click here to see the awful display.

0-2 Ain't What It Used To Be...There was a time when 0-2 meant you had virtually no chance of making the playoffs.  With so much parity that's no longer the case, so which 0-2 teams have the best chance of playing well into January?  Tennessee is the first to come to mind.  The Titans have lost two close games, including last week's 34-31 loss to Houston.  While the Titans enjoyed most of the breaks last year, that's not the case now as turnovers are becoming an issue.  However, with Jacksonville and Indianapolis coming up the Titans have a chance to gain some divisional ground.

Rex In Effects...Rex Ryan has brought some serious attitude to the New York Jets but more importantly he's brought a great defensive philosophy and that defense was again on display against New England.  The best way to get a rookie quarterback to succeed is to have a defense that can overcome offensive mistakes.  As long as Mark Sanchez plays smart football the Jets will be tough to beat thanks to a stingy defense.  Meanwhile in Baltimore the Ravens are missing Ryan  The Ravens are 2-0 but have given up a whopping 50 points in those first two games.  By comparison, the Ravens gave up 57 points in their last 5 regular season games in '08.

Tony The Paper Tiger...For whatever reason Tony Romo can't win a huge game (other than the '07 Thursday nighter against the Packers).  He has performed well on Sunday night in the past and you could not have asked for a better script for the Cowboys, who yielded just 12 first half rushing yards to the Giants.  However, Romo was intercepted three times, leading to 17 New York points.  Now the Cowboys will play on Monday night, another poor performance will mean fans will be on Romo all season until he wins a big game.

A Place For Ribs...Matt Hasselbeck left Seattle's game against San Francisco with a rib injury.  He hasn't been ruled out for Week Three but it's clear the Seahawks need him out there.  Backup Seneca Wallace did throw a touchdown, albeit a one-yarder after Hasselbeck guided the team inside the five.  However from the start of the second half until the five minute mark of the fourth quarter the Seahawks picked up only three first downs, allowing San Francisco to take control of the second half.  Seattle faces a fired up Chicago team Sunday and the Seahawks will need as much firepower as possible, otherwise 2009 will turn into a repeat of last year's 4-12 nightmare.

Mild, Mild West...The AFC West looks bad...scary bad.  Without LaDanian Tomlinson the Chargers struggled against Baltimore, heck even with him the Chargers barely beat Oakland in Week One.  Kansas City is 0-2 but what is most surprising is that the Chiefs were shredded by Joe Flacco and the Ravens in the opening week but then gave up 109 yards on just seven completions to Oakland's JaMarcus Russell.  Are the Raiders that toothless through the air?  Meanwhile Denver is 2-0 but after being one of the worst defensive teams in '08 the Broncos have been one of the best so far in '09.  Granted Denver played Cincinnati and Cleveland but giving up only 13 points is impressive.  Next up the Broncos face those same punchless Raiders.