The New Orleans Saints are trying to get back to the promised land this year and they will begin by putting their NFL predictions to the test against the defending Super Bowl champion, Green Bay Packers, on Thursday night. Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers are two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, but even though these teams will be close to evenly matched when they face off on Thursday, the Saints will field a more potent rushing attack than Green Bay and that could be one of the factors that helps decide this game. When having to game-plan for Mark Ingram, Pierre Thomas, and Darren Sproles, there is no way that opposing defensive coordinators can focus only on the pass and as the season rolls along, a lot of handicapping experts will jump on New Orleans’ NFL picks bandwagon.

Green Bay’s defense will be a true test of how good the Saints’ ground game really is. The only unfortunate thing is that this game is not being played later on in the season, once both teams have found their identity. The Packers already have an identity on offense, with Tramon Williams and Charles Woodson anchoring one of the toughest pass defenses in the league last season. But they will be immediately challenged by a healthy Marques Colston, and tight end Jimmy Graham, who not only finished strong last year, but will be picking up right where he left off. I just don’t see how any team is supposed to stop New Orleans’ offense this season. This team has enough firepower for Drew Brees to play with, and after that disappointing loss to the Seahawks in the 2010 NFC Playoffs; Brees is not taking this opportunity for granted. Most online books have the Saints vs Packers odds stuck on New Orleans +4, which is exactly where I’m going with my NFL picks for this game.

Sean Payton has a well-established history of designing unique game plans and out-executing opposing head coaches in big games, and this Thursday’s game should further illustrate that trend. The toughest challenge for Payton will be the mismatch that TE Jermichael Finley presents against the unsettled Saints' linebacker corps. The Saints' expect linebackers Jonathan Cassilas to line up on the weak side and Scott Shanle to shift over to the strong side, but no matter where these linebackers play; Finley has the edge over both Cassilas, who is still maturing and inexperienced at his position, and Shanle, who's an aging player with a limited skill set. The Saints are listed at +150 on the money lines at SBGGlobal.com, so jumping on the underdog in this game would be a solid play.

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