Saints 38, Patriots 17

We got beat. And how. Our secondary was chewed up, we didn't put together much of anything on offense, and it was a general mess. Even Gostkowski missed a field goal, which is pretty abnormal (admittedly, it was from the 50, so it was challenging).

So time to assess. We are a half hour from December and I've had my epiphany moment, like I did last year after the Steelers game. Here is my assessment. I think that we can beat almost anyone in the AFC this year. We did almost beat the Colts. The only other surging team I really see right now are the Chargers (sorry, Tennessee, I think it's going to be too little, too late). And so, were it to come down to it, I think that we would have a shot.

At the same time, I think that the NFC may have everyone in the AFC beat this year. There are the Saints. There are also the Vikings, who have come out of nowhere with Favre to be a dominant team. If the Saints or Vikings played the Colts, I have a feeling the NFC team would win. And so -- and you can read it here right now -- I think this is an NFC year.

At the same time, I'm not ready to discount the Patriots quite yet. Sure, elements of the secondary are weak, but not a disaster like last year (I am not bringing back the 'We need corners' tag quite yet). I am reminded of Arizona's game against us last year when we blew them out and we turned it around. It's not over, of course, until it is over, so there is still time to go. But right now, it sure seems to be more of an NFC year than an AFC one.