Marques Colston

With the playoffs on the line, the 'Aints made their return. New Orleans all but eliminated itself from playoff contention by falling apart physically and mentally - losing key players to injuries and drawing penalties in crucial situations. "That was a tough loss for us," coach Sean Payton said after the Saints' 38-23 loss to the Eagles. "You have to credit Philadelphia and Andy Reid and his staff. There wasn't any quit in the team that we played. " The Saints lost three players to injuries in the game, the most notable being cornerback Mike McKenzie, who sprained a knee on the third play from scrimmage, and wide receiver Marques Colston, who suffered a chest contusion.

NEW ORLEANS - Drew Brees completed 31 of 35 passes for 325 yards and five touchdowns, and the Saints set a franchise record for points and victory margin in a 62-7 demolition of the hapless Indianapolis Colts last night. For the first time as a head coach, Sean Payton spent the game up in the coaches' booth, where he could sit comfortably with his broken left leg propped up. He called the plays from there and he had to like what he saw from his new vantage point. Brees had two TD passes to Marques Colston and one to Darren Sproles in the first quarter.

NEW ORLEANS - Drew Brees and the surging New Orleans Saints made everything look easy against the slumping Giants. Brees passed for 363 yards and four touchdowns and ran for another score as New Orleans rolled to a 49-24 victory last night, extending New York's losing skid to three games. Tight end Jimmy Graham had five catches for 84 yards, including touchdowns of 5 and 29 yards. Brees' two other scoring strikes went to Lance Moore, who had five catches for 54 yards.

Once upon a time, there was an NFL team with a wide receiver named Dont? Stallworth. That team thought Stallworth was a good player but traded him anyway. The New Orleans Saints have no regrets about what they did. "That wasn't anything negative about Dont?," Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said yesterday at the Indianapolis Convention Center during the first day of the NFL Scouting Combine. "That wasn't why we made that move. We just had a desperate need at linebacker.

Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints carved up Bill Belichick's defense, staying unbeaten with a dominant romp over the Patriots. Brees threw for a season-high 371 yards and five touchdowns, and the Saints harassed Tom Brady all game in a 38-17 victory over New England last night. By routing one of the NFL's top powers, the Saints joined the Colts at 11-0, the first time two teams have opened with that many wins in the same season. The convincing win left little doubt about New Orleans' credentials to match the Patriots' 16-0 regular-season mark in 2007.

Injured Eagles linebacker Stewart Bradley walked into the Philadelphia locker room and first went to defensive backs Sheldon Brown and Quintin Mikell. Bradley, who is sitting out the season because of a knee injury, patted Brown on the back, and the dejected three talked quietly for a few minutes, Mikell occasionally making hand motions while trying to explain how Drew Brees and the Saints had rendered the Eagles' defense helpless. "They executed," Brown told reporters later.

Hollis Thomas is back, and not necessarily bigger than ever. The former Eagles defensive tackle, who started the first 12 games for the New Orleans Saints this season, had to sit out four games for violating the National Football League's policy on anabolic steroids and related substances. He was barred from the Saints' practice facility and went home to Houston, where he worked out to keep his weight stable. The result? "I stayed within striking distance of my weight," said Thomas, who was listed in the Saints' media guide at 306 pounds, but actually, as of Tuesday, was 340. "What little [weight]

Eagles at Saints Tomorrow at 8 p.m. Louisiana Superdome TV: Fox29 Radio: WYSP-FM (94.1) Line: Saints by 5. Eagles offense vs. Saints defense The Eagles showed they could win last week despite a less-than-stellar performance from quarterback Jeff Garcia (17 of 31 passing, 153 yards, 1 TD, 79.1 passer rating). They will need better against the Saints. Eagles receiver Dont? Stallworth didn't play against his former team in New Orleans' 27-24 win on Oct. 15 because of a hamstring injury.

Eli Manning returned to his hometown only to see Drew Brees torch the New York Giants' league-leading defense. Brees ended his two-game streak without a touchdown throw by completing 23 of 30 passes for 369 yards and four scores yesterday, and New Orleans easily remained unbeaten, 48-27. The Giants (5-1) came into the game giving up averages of 210.6 yards and 14.2 points. The Saints (5-0) had 34 points and 315 yards by halftime, as Brees threw three TD passes to reach 100 since the Saints signed him as a free agent in 2006.

NOTABLE In case you missed it, Bill Parcells said Terrell Owens might not miss a game after having a plate inserted into his ring finger last week. The Cowboys are idle this weekend, then travel to Tennessee before coming to Lincoln Financial Field on Oct. 8. . . . Indianapolis defensive end Dwight Freeney and wide receiver Brandon Stokley likely will be game-time decisions today against Jacksonville. . . . For his career, Tom Brady has completed nearly 62 percent of his passes, but this season, he is squarely at 50 percent.

WIDE RECEIVERS grabbed the big money as NFL free agency began yesterday. Vincent Jackson is headed to Tampa Bay, Pierre Garcon to Washington and Marques Colston will stay in New Orleans, all getting huge deals. Josh Morgan also caught a hefty contract from the Redskins, while Miami dealt its top receiver, Brandon Marshall, to Chicago for two third-round draft choices. Jackson got a 5-year, $55.55 million contract with the Buccaneers. He will be paid $13 million in each of his first 2 years, then $10 million for the third year.

NEW ORLEANS - Quite a night for Drew Brees and the Saints - a record and a rout. Brees set the NFL record for yards passing in a season, breaking a mark that Dan Marino had held for 27 years, and New Orleans clinched the NFC South title with a 45-16 victory over the Atlanta Falcons last night. Brees threw for 307 yards and four touchdowns, the last a 9-yard strike to Darren Sproles that set the record with 2:51 to go. "So many people contributed to this, and I'm happy for them," Brees said.

NEW ORLEANS - Drew Brees and the surging New Orleans Saints made everything look easy against the slumping Giants. Brees passed for 363 yards and four touchdowns and ran for another score as New Orleans rolled to a 49-24 victory last night, extending New York's losing skid to three games. Tight end Jimmy Graham had five catches for 84 yards, including touchdowns of 5 and 29 yards. Brees' two other scoring strikes went to Lance Moore, who had five catches for 54 yards.

NEW ORLEANS - Drew Brees completed 31 of 35 passes for 325 yards and five touchdowns, and the Saints set a franchise record for points and victory margin in a 62-7 demolition of the hapless Indianapolis Colts last night. For the first time as a head coach, Sean Payton spent the game up in the coaches' booth, where he could sit comfortably with his broken left leg propped up. He called the plays from there and he had to like what he saw from his new vantage point. Brees had two TD passes to Marques Colston and one to Darren Sproles in the first quarter.

Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints carved up Bill Belichick's defense, staying unbeaten with a dominant romp over the Patriots. Brees threw for a season-high 371 yards and five touchdowns, and the Saints harassed Tom Brady all game in a 38-17 victory over New England last night. By routing one of the NFL's top powers, the Saints joined the Colts at 11-0, the first time two teams have opened with that many wins in the same season. The convincing win left little doubt about New Orleans' credentials to match the Patriots' 16-0 regular-season mark in 2007.

Eli Manning returned to his hometown only to see Drew Brees torch the New York Giants' league-leading defense. Brees ended his two-game streak without a touchdown throw by completing 23 of 30 passes for 369 yards and four scores yesterday, and New Orleans easily remained unbeaten, 48-27. The Giants (5-1) came into the game giving up averages of 210.6 yards and 14.2 points. The Saints (5-0) had 34 points and 315 yards by halftime, as Brees threw three TD passes to reach 100 since the Saints signed him as a free agent in 2006.

Injured Eagles linebacker Stewart Bradley walked into the Philadelphia locker room and first went to defensive backs Sheldon Brown and Quintin Mikell. Bradley, who is sitting out the season because of a knee injury, patted Brown on the back, and the dejected three talked quietly for a few minutes, Mikell occasionally making hand motions while trying to explain how Drew Brees and the Saints had rendered the Eagles' defense helpless. "They executed," Brown told reporters later.

Recent history: The Eagles defeated the Saints in New Orleans on Dec. 23, 2007, 38-23. The Eagles lead the series, 16-10.   OFFENSE   Eagles: 267 yards a game (23rd) Saints: 515 yards a game (1st) Quarterback Eagles: Kevin Kolb, who will start in place of injured Donovan McNabb, has just 45 pass attempts in two-plus NFL seasons, including 11 last week. He's got a strong arm, but has had ball-security issues in his few appearances, throwing four interceptions (in 34 attempts)

DREW BREES DID something last year that no other quarterback has ever done. He had a monster season and still managed to irk a portion of the fantasy population. Oh, things were rosy for those who owned Brees. His 5,069 yards nearly broke Dan Marino's NFL record of 5,084, and his 34 touchdowns tied Philip Rivers for most in the league. Brees' only mistake was that he was too generous. He spread the ball around way too much to help anybody in fantasyland. Have a Saints receiver?

With the playoffs on the line, the 'Aints made their return. New Orleans all but eliminated itself from playoff contention by falling apart physically and mentally - losing key players to injuries and drawing penalties in crucial situations. "That was a tough loss for us," coach Sean Payton said after the Saints' 38-23 loss to the Eagles. "You have to credit Philadelphia and Andy Reid and his staff. There wasn't any quit in the team that we played. " The Saints lost three players to injuries in the game, the most notable being cornerback Mike McKenzie, who sprained a knee on the third play from scrimmage, and wide receiver Marques Colston, who suffered a chest contusion.