By Jim Mashek
(MCT)

New Orleans Saints running Reggie Bush soars into the end zone for a touchdown against the Miami Dolphins. Photo Courtesy MCT.

The most anticipated regular-season game in New Orleans Saints history unfolds on Monday night in the Louisiana Superdome.

Tickets will be a tough buy, an easy sell. For profit, mind you.

The Saints face Tom Brady and the New England Patriots with the chance to remain one of the NFL’s two unbeaten teams.

The Indianapolis Colts stayed perfect by overcoming a 20-14 deficit in the fourth quarter in Houston on Sunday, beating the Texans 35-27.

The Saints (10-0) are playing one of pro football’s premier teams and organizations in the Patriots (7-3), who lead the second-place Miami Dolphins by three games in the loss column in the AFC South. Monday night’s game will pit Brady against first-year coordinator Gregg Williams and the Saints’ improved defense and Drew Brees against the innovative schemes of Pats coach Bill Belichick and his staff.

The last time the Patriots played in the Superdome, Brady, an unheralded second-year quarterback, got his team in position for a late field goal before Adam Vinatieri’s 48-yard kick beat the heavily favored St. Louis Rams 20-17 as time expired.

“There’s certainly a lot of fond memories from Super Bowl XXXVI there,” Belichick said, “but the Saints bring it back to reality quickly.”

While Brees threw for more than 5,000 yards last season, he’ll be the first to tell you the Saints went 8-8 that year.

Brady, meanwhile, has returned from knee surgery intent on winning a fourth Super Bowl championship, which would put him in the company of NFL legends Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw.

“I think (Brady) is an exceptional player and has been for a long time,” Brees said. “He will go down as one of the best (quarterbacks) of all-time.

If you stood the two of us next to each other (Brady is 6-foot-4, Brees barely 6 feet), we wouldn’t look anything alike, so maybe you’d say our styles are a little different. But in the end, you want the result to be the same. You win football games and you win championships.

“Obviously he has three and I’m still trying to get that first. I have a lot of respect for him.”

The Saints have had to make adjustments on both sides of the ball due to injuries, but they’re expected to get defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis, last year’s first-round draft pick, back from a knee injury.

The Saints are also hopeful of having starting cornerback Jabari Greer back, too, which would be a significant development after losing their other starter at that position, Tracy Porter, to a knee injury earlier this month.

The Saints have added cornerbacks Chris McAlister and Mike McKenzie to the roster in hopes of bolstering the position over the last couple weeks, which may prove to be a factor when Brady is looking deep for Randy Moss or underneath for Wes Welker.

“They do a good job up front in protecting,” Saints coach Sean Payton said. “Welker can take over a game so you have to decide how you match up and defend (the passing game).

(Third-down back) Kevin Faulk has been an exceptional player in the role he has been used, and you’re looking at a quarterback, we haven’t seen someone of his caliber in a long time.”

The Patriots bounced back from their 35-34 loss to Peyton Manning and the Colts last week, jettisoning the New York Jets 31-14.

The Patriots have beaten the Saints both times since Belichick came on board in 2000, winning both those games by double digits in Foxborough, Mass. New England leads the all-time series 8-3.

“That’s the type of organization we’re aspiring to be,” Brees said.

“To be a championship contender every year. If you’re able to go out and win these games and compete with these teams, then you belong.”

The Saints are favored by 1.5 points.