The New Orleans Saints' march toward an undefeated regular season got a lot easier Monday

night.

Beating the New England Patriots, 38-17, cleared the biggest obstacle standing between the

Saints and perfection. Consider that their last five opponents have a combined record of

22-33. The Saints still have NFC East leader Dallas, but they get the Cowboys in the

Superdome.

It's hard to believe an 11-0 team had something to prove, but the Saints did. The quality

of their competition had been questioned since their previous 10 opponents had a collective

record of 41-69 and only three had winning records. Not one of the opposing quarterbacks

ranked in the top 10 in passing, and only two were in the top 20.

The Saints also really hadn't been pushed, winning eight games by double digits.

So beating the Patriots, and their Hall of Fame coach and quarterback, was significant in

showing the nation that the Saints really are a very good team and not the beneficiary of an

easy schedule.

As for the Patriots, this loss was a major setback. They are still on schedule to win the

AFC East, but getting to the Super Bowl will require winning at least one game on the road.

They're just 1-4 away from Foxborough this season, with the win coming against woeful Tampa

Bay in London.

Some other observations from Week 12:

Steelers digging themselves a hole: What is up with the Pittsburgh Steelers?

With three straight losses, the defending Super Bowl champions have dug a big hole for

themselves. If the season ended today, they would not make the playoffs. Their offense has

struggled to finish drives, their usually staunch defense has blown four fourth-quarter leads

in five losses and their special teams have allowed four touchdowns on kickoff returns in the

last six games.

The Steelers also have to deal with internal issues, such as star WR Hines Ward questioning

why QB Ben Roethlisberger didn't play in Sunday's overtime loss at Baltimore. Big Ben suffered

a concussion in the previous game at Kansas City.

He practiced all week, but tests by the team's doctors on the eve of the game revealed

issues that made them keep him off the field. He dressed as the emergency quarterback behind

first-time starter Dennis Dixon, who played reasonably before throwing a critical interception

in OT. But Ward and several other players felt if Roethlisberger was healthy enough to

practice he should have played.

Don't write off the Steelers yet. They may have to run the table, but their remaining

schedule is favorable. To those who think they're done, coach Mike Tomlin issued this warning:

"We will not go gently. We will unleash hell here in December because we have to. We won't go

into a shell. We'll go into attack mode."

Cardiac Colts: They are still undefeated, but they're doing it the hard way.

Sunday's 35-27 win at Houston was the fifth consecutive game in which they overcame a deficit

in the fourth quarter. That's an NFL record. Colts QB Peyton Manning set another league mark

by winning his fifth career game after trailing by 17-plus points. The Colts are good, but

isn't there some luck involved here? After all, they do have a horseshoe on their helmets.

Bud Adams for coach of the year: Hey, it was the Tennessee Titans owner's call to

reinsert QB Vince Young into the starting lineup. That decision has resulted in the Titans

becoming the first NFL team to win five straight games after starting 0-6. Young also led a

99-yard drive that culminated in a game-winning touchdown pass with no time left against the

Arizona Cardinals. Young is 23-11 as a starter, winning his last nine outings.

Favre on fire: Guess we should stop waiting for Brett Favre to start acting his age.

The 40-year-old gunslinger's 392-yard, three-touchdown effort against the Chicago Bears might

be the highlight of a season that has him in the running for an unprecedented fourth NFL MVP

award. He has 24 touchdown passes and only three interceptions. The 8-to-1 ratio is a career

high and second best in NFL history through 11 games with a minimum of 20 TD passes. Tom Brady

owns the record with a 9.7-to-1 ratio (39 TDs vs. four INTs) in 2007.

Chargers energized: The Colts might be the best team in the AFC, but they might not

want a piece of the San Diego Chargers, who crushed Kansas City, 43-14, for their sixth

straight win. With a dazzling array of offensive weapons, headed by QB Philip Rivers, and a

rapidly improving defense, the Chargers are the team to watch during the final month of the

regular season.

Jet lag Jags: The NFL didn't do the Jaguars any favors sending them to the West

Coast twice this season. They have been outscored, 61-3, and both losses were to mediocre

teams, Seattle (4-7) and San Francisco (5-6). It says something (nothing good) about the NFL

that the Jags (6-5) would make the playoffs if the season ended today.

Milestones: Tennessee RB Chris Johnson had his third touchdown run of at least 85

yards this season. No one has had three TD runs of 85-plus yards in an entire career. He also

joined Earl Campbell (1980) and Eric Dickerson (1984) as the only backs with 125-plus yards in

six consecutive games. Johnson is the only player to average more than 5 yards per carry in

each of those games. ... Favre played in his 282nd consecutive regular-season game, tying Jim

Marshall for the longest consecutive game streak in NFL history by a nonkicker/punter. Favre

is the first player in NFL history with 500 combined touchdowns (502 total — 488

passing, 14 rushing). ... Buffalo WR Terrell Owens joined Jerry Rice and Marvin Harrison as

the only players to rank in the top three all-time in receptions, receiving yards and

receiving touchdowns in his first 200 career games. ... San Diego RB LaDainian Tomlinson

passed Marcus Allen and Edgerrin James to move into 10th place on NFL's all-time career

rushing yards list. Tomlinson now has 12,257 yards.

Offensive player of the week: Young, who threw for a career-high 387 yards. Who said

he couldn't be a pocket passer?

Defensive player of the week: Minnesota DE Jared Allen. Had two sacks and one

interception in a 36-10 rout of Chicago.