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Jude Young - It's two teams with sparkling 3-0 record facing off in the Louisiana Superdome. Both the New Orleans Saints and New York Jets hope to leave here today with a perfect mark at the quarter pole of the 2009 regular season:


5:57
Interception by Randall Gay is returned to the Jets 5 with 1:16 to go. Victory play time for the 4-0 Saints. This is a complete football team - so far. Can we speed up the clock and have Saints versus Eil Manning and the Giants tommorrow?

Saints 24, Jets 10 FINAL

5:56
Saints punt, and Morstead limps off after a Jet was blocked into him. He'll be fine. Hello, bye week.

5:48
Darren Sharper has given Sanchez a master course is reading defense. It's another pick for the 'old man' who baited Sanchez into a late throw - again. All this seemingly-unwanted free agent is going to do is lead the NFL in interceptions. I say 31 other scouting departments have some 'splainin' to do.

5:47
And hello BLITZ. Will smith leads a gang of unblocked rushers for an 11-yard sack of Sanchez. Kid had no chance.

5:46
Hello, Prevent zone defense. Two plays, and the Jets are past midfield. Payton is actually mad at Williams on the sidelines.

5:43
An 11-play, 74 yard drive that take close to 7 minutes and pretty much locks away the win for the Saints.

5:41
Touchdown, Saints! Thomas follows the Evans boys on the right side for an easy score from the one. The Saints running game and defense have carried the mail again today. Last year's team would be 2-2 right now.

24-10 New Orleans with 6:07 left.

5:40
Heath Evans has super hands. Brees throws behind him on a play-fake, but the Auburn man snagged it and gained a first down at the 2. He is a perfect fullback for this offense.

5:39
Biggest pass of the game as Brees finds Meachem over the middle for 19 huge yards to the Jets 12.


5:36
Brees bails out Thomas after a fumble by falling on it.

5:35
Nose tackle Kris Jenkins jumps offsides on 4th-and-1. Wow. Bad football. Break for the Saints.

5:30
And the Saints throw a one-yard pass on 3rd and two. Then the Saints try to quick-snap a sneak by Brees for the first down. The Jets get a timeout just in time.

Field position, Coach P. You're at the Jets 43. Why risk it? Pin a rookie QB deep. He has only given you 14 points today.

5:29
Brees with a big 3rd down throw lofting a pass for 18 yards to TE David Thomas for 18 yards at the Saints 48. A New Orleans score of any kind likely locks up the win.

5:25
Reggie Bush hurts you again. In a game of field position, he loses the Saints 15 yards by not fair catching a high punt on the sideline. He lets it bounce, and New Orleans has to start a drive at their own 26.

5:24
And the Saints D holds up. Three-and-out go the Jets with Jones stuffed by Scott Fujita and others for no gain at the 19 on 3rd-and-two.

5:19
End of the 3rd Quarter: 17-10 Saints

At least the Saints have changed field position on this drive as Henderson is tackeld two yards short of a first down at the Jets 47.

I think Payton will try to win conservatively from here on out. Considering Brees threw a horrible pass two plays ago that could easily have been intercepted by Revis, that plan is the right one. Brees is a rhythm passer who has been out-of-sync for the last 6 quarters he has played.

5:16
Bush with a nice kick return to the Saints 34. It helps with field position at the 2:15 mark of the third.

5:15
Is Schottheimer nuts? The Jets have thrown again on 3rd and short. Incomplete. Bad.

5:10
STUFFED! Thomas off tackle? The shortest path from point A to B is a straight line. You by-pass a 45 yard field goal attempt. Sean Payton has made a bad decision that has really put his team in danger. Does he have no faith in John Carney from 45 out? Or is he just too cocky and stubborn?

5:10
And Reggie runs off tackle (huh?) for close to the first. Inches short. The Saints offense is staying on the field.

5:08
Bush returns on 3rd down, and the boo birds are out.

5:06
Pierre Thomas has gashed the Jets on 3 straight plays for a total of 43 yards! Run the ball with guys who run hard between two great guards. Simple.

5:03
Four plays, 34-yards for the Jets score. If New Orleans loses this game, Bush will be destroyed in the public eye here. And he should be. The sooner Bell comes back, the better. Then Bush should not take another snap as a tailback. What he can do as a runner is far outweighed by runs for losses and fumbles.

5:02
Touchdown, Jets. Thomas Jones right up the gut for the score from 15 yards out. Reggie Bush is a gamechanger. 17-10 Saints.

5:01
Poor defense by the Saints on third down. They leave Leon Washington uncovered coming out of the backfield in motion. First and goal from the Saints 15.

4:59
Leave it to Reggie Bush to help turn the game around. He fumbles the ball, and the Jets have it at the Saints 35. You cannot trust the guy as a ball carrier.

4:58
Saints overcome a holding call on Jahri Evans with a pass to shockey down the seam. First down in a key spot.

4:54
After two Thomas Jones runs for a total of 9, the Jets throw a quick slant on 3rd and one around midfield. Not close. Huh? I bet Rex Ryan talks to Schottheimer about that call.

4:50
Not a good series for the Saints. Two incompletions with a dump off to Thomas in between. Run the ball with a two score lead, maybe?

4:46
Big stop for the Saints as they sniff out a screen and deflect a pass (Porter) on 3rd down to end the threat. Sanchez is handicapped by a less-than-stellar receiving corp as much as his own inexperience.

4:44
It evens out as Sanchez finds Keller down the seam and gains an extra 15 after Sharper is called for a helmet-to-helmet personal foul. New York is near midfield in a flash.

4:43
Grant with his second sack to start the second half. The lead official missed a face mask.

4:27
Grant sacks Sanchez. The Jets came out in a 5-wide set. Weird call with a shaky rookie. Halftime. 17-3 New Orleans.

4:25
Brees with a rare error taking a delay penalty. With 50 seconds left, a draw would be a good idea.

But no - Brees goes deep leaving the Jets with 2 timeouts. Morstead to punt.

4:23
Saints convert a big 3rd and 7 with a Brees to Colston connection over the middle. The Jets had tweo timeouts but let the clock run. Rex Ryan is playing it safe.

4:19
New York dents the scoreboard with a Jay Feely field goal from 38-yards out. A tired defense held up wll there, and Drew Brees now has a timeout and 1:48 to work with here. 17-3 Saints.

4:19
Greer with a deflection at the goalline. How did the Bills let him go so easily?

4:18
Sean Payton is exhirting the fans to scream! Think he doesn't believe in his defense?

4:15
The rookie's mobillity helps again as Sanchez finds Washington for 6 at the 2 minute warning. This has been a long Jets drive that gives them a chance to get back into the game with any points here. New York will receive the second half kickoff and could make this a one-score affair. That may be their only way back into the game.


4:14
Sanchez runs for the first on a bootleg. Good call since the Saints had the run stuffed.

4:12
Sharper with a huge openfield tackle in the flat on Washington to force a 4th-and-short. Saints have to call timeout as the Jets hurried to the line of scrimmage. New York must have this first down with 3:23 remaining in the half. The game is on the line for them here.

4:09
Better ideas by Sanchez with two quicker decisions to pull the ball down and run. New York is now at the Saints 39. Good response by them, and the Saints defense looks a bit gassed.

4:07
Smart coaching by Jets OC Brian Schottenheimer by going with the run. Rookie shonn Green gains 16 on two carries to provide relief for the beleaguered rookie QB.

4:06
Morstead again pumps the kickoff 5 yards deep preventing the dangerous Leon Washington from taking it out. Keeping that guy quiet usually means bad new for the Jets.

4:02
YES. Touchdown, Saints! The rookie holds the ball too long allowing Will Smith to run him down and strip him as he cocked to throw at the goalline. Remi Ayodele punced on the loose ball in the endzone.

17-0 Saints. A good defense makes Payton look good. Two defensive scores for New Orleans. Did you start the Saints defense in fantasy today?

4:01
Sean Payton sometimes gets caught up with his own desire to win the chess match. Les Miles got away with it with LSU yesterday, failing to gain a key-4th-and-short when taking the points was a better call with his team in early control. Will the Saints get away with it?

3:59
Big mistake by New Orleans. Finesse football ends up with the Jets taking over from their two. Brees ended up looking for a tackle elligible Jamar Nesbitt. What? If you're going to make a statement, run it again. But take the field goal against a rookie QB.

3:58
Uh oh. Thomas and Evans were stuffed on consecutive runs followed by a hurry-up incompletion on 3rd down. Saints go for it from the one.

3:57
Pierre Thomas just gets it done. A perfectly executed screen pass escorts Thomas to the Jets 1 yard line. Credit Carl Nicks with a stellar block and Thomas for showing excellent balance.

3:56
Revis makes his presence felt as a tackler by flipping Bush airborne.

3:55
Marques Colston makes his first grab. Saints used a bunch formation on the play to match Colston on a linebacker and avoid Jets stud CB Darrelle Revis.

3:53
A Reggie Bush cut-back run yields a first down, and Drew Brees gave up his body on the play to spring Reggie.

3:50
Chris Reis partially deflect Weatherford's punt, and the ball goes out of bounds at the Jets 37. An illegal hands to the face call on the Saints has the ball moving back all the way to the Saints 40. You're telling me that the way to enforce that foul - and non-personal foul - is a 32-yard penalty (normally 10)? What a joke!

3:49
Sanchez is rattled. On 3rd-and-two, he hangs TE Dustin Keller out to dry shirt of the first down. Roman Harper undercut Keller for an incompletion.

3:38
A winded Sharper is out with Usama Young in his place, yet the Jets run up the gut and throw a quick out. Why not go after Young?

3:46
Sharper just broke the record for the longest return in Saints history. He had tied Tommy Myers with a 97-yarder against the Eagles.

3:45
Morstead is 2-for-2 on touchbacks today. He was a sure thing there kicking off from the Saints 45.

Sharper is now in a tie with Emmett Thomas for 9th all-time in picks. He now has 10 interception returns for scores in his career; only Rod Woodson has more (12) in NFL history. Both Thomas and Woodson are Hall fo Famers.

3:43
Sharper now has 4 interceptions so far this year with 2 for long scoring returns. The value of having a true centerfielder on defense cannot be understated. Sharper is a lock for the Pro Bowl already.

3:41
Touchdown, SAINTS! Darren Sharper is worth his weight in gold. The old vet rumbles 99 yards after baiting the rookie into a throw near the goalline. A convoy of blockers escorted Sharper down the field with only Sanchez left to try and stop him. Not only did he fail but also commited a personal foul by trying to undercut Jon Vilma. Wild!

10-0 New Orleans.

3:40
Saints with only 2 possessions in the first, and Brees was an efficient 6-8 but for just 30 yards.

3:39
End of 1st Quarter:
Jets are in business with 2nd-and-8 from the Saints 15. The first quarter flew by quickly, and the pace of the game is very much what the Jets were hoping to see.

3:37
Cotchery was left wide-open in the slot, and Sanchez found him for a first down. Darren Sharper and Roman Harper were having an animated discussion after that play. The slot man was alos left open on the previous play, but that ended up being a run.

3:36
Two straight Wildcat plays for NYJ. Wideout Brad Smith was able to take a handoff in motion and gain a first down with Porter proving not to be a sure tackler. The second-year man is more physical this year but still not a plus run defender.

Jets safety Eric Smith comes unbloacked off the edge, but Brees escaped only to miss an open Devery Henderson on the sideline. Drew will need to make some throws on the run with the way NY will blitz in favorable down-and-distance situations.

Morstead punts out-of-bounds for 43 yards.

3:31
Saints have to burn their first timeout before a 3rd-and-8 from thier 6.

3:29
Linebacker Bart Scott blows up Thomas at his 2 on another run left out of the offset eye. That play is 0-for-two so far.

3:27
Jabari Greer with two solid plays to kill the threat. He tackles Jerricho Cotchery on a comeback route followed by a great strip on another slant route try on 3rd down. Jets do not hesititate to punt from the Saints 35. Former Saints punter Steve Weatherford's mile-high punt is downed at the Saints 4.

3:23
Timeout, NYJ - Mark Sanchez missed an open man in the middle fo the Saints zone and then needed a timeout to deal with formation issues. The rookie from USC is being asked to do quite a bit so far.

3:23
Rex Ryan's team will trash talk with you. It's your job to keep your cool.

3:22
Big mistake by Tracy Porter. The Saints had stuffed two straight Jet running plays, but Porter was called for a late hit. Jets in Saints territory.

3:20
Two straight quick slants by the Jets to gain 16 yards. New York with a whole lot of shifting around pre-snap.

3:17
Note: The Saints had 44 yards on the ground on the first drive.

3:14
Holding kills the drive with the Saints actually getting themselves into a manageable 3rd-and-4, but Brees missed Bush in the endzone. Jet defender may have been a hair early.

Carney nails a 34-yard FG to put the Saints on top. New Orleans scores again on their first drive, but it's not a touchdown for the first time in 2009.

Key play was the holding call followed by Bush's choice to cut to the sidelines on a run around the end rather than cut it inside. 3-0 SAINTS.

3:11
Saints keep the mix going. Different formations with the run and pass working well to the Jets 22. But a dreaded holding penalty on Jonathan Goodwin will test the Saints here.

3:10
Another statement for the Saints. Thomas rumbles off right tackle for 8 on 3rd-and-one. Great block by Heath Evans.

3:05
Point, counter-point. MLB David Harris stuffs Pierre Thomas on the first play from scrimmage. Sean Payton dials up a quick second snap for an end-around run by Robert Meachem for a first down. Gotta love this matchup.

3:04
Saints won the toss and want the rock. We'll see the marquee matchup of Saints O and Jets D right away.

2:54
Here come the Jets. New York takes the field amid a cascade of boos. It feels like a big game in here.

1:59
Today's inactives:
SAINTS - Chase Daniel (3rd QB), WR Rod Harper, RB Mike Bell, DB Malcolm Jenkins, LB Jo-Lonn Dunbar, Kendrick Clancy, LT Jermon Bushrod, TE Darnell Dinkins.

Analysis - You gain some; you lose some. Getting Lance Moore back to work the short routes against the aggressive Jets defense is a plus. Rookie special teams ace will be missed as a gunner on coverage units, but look for Usama Young to fill the void. Zach Strief will play in place of Bushrod while Remi Ayodele will once again fill in for Clancy. No Mike Bell means more Pierre Thomas, which isn't a bad thing.

JETS - Erik Ainge (3rd QB), QB Kevin O'Connell, CB Lito Sheppard, CB Donald Strickland, LB Ryan Fowler, OG Matt Slauson, DE Ropati Pitoitua and DT Howard Green.

Analysis - Good news for the Saints pass attack with Strickland and especially Sheppard out. Will that tame the New York blitz tendencies a bit? And Green is a former LSU Tiger who has bounced around the league for a while.

1:55 p.m.
Let's get you ready for the action with some pregame information. Here's a preview of the matchup as well as Ken Trahan's take on the game.