The Saints returned to the Dome for possibly the most hyped game in recent team history, a Monday Night showdown in front of 70,768 with the 7-3 Patriots, winners of 3 Super Bowls in this decade. The Saints came out firing from the start with a 33-yard completion from Brees to Devery Henderson. The drive resulted in a John Carney FG from 30 yards. The Pats stormed back on the next drive, converting twice on 4th-and-1, the second being Laurence Maroney's 4-yard TD run to put New England in the lead. On New England's next drive, Tom Brady was intercepted by a healthy and re-signed Mike McKenzie, leading to a TD from Brees to Pierre Thomas on an 18-yard swing pass. Forcing the Pats to punt again, Drew Brees found a wide-open Henderson on the next play, who waltzed into the endzone on a 75-yard reception to make it 17-7. The Patriots scored again on a 38-yard FG by Stephen Gostkowski. Drew Brees made it 24-10 on a 38 yarder to Robert Meachem, which was set up by a 25-yard catch by former Patriots TE David Thomas, and Gostkowski missed a 50-yard FG wide to close out the half. On the Pats first play of the third quarter, Scott Fujita forced Maroney to fumble, and Sedrick Ellis recovered the ball. However, Maroney forced Ellis to fumble, and Wes Welker recovered the ball on the New England 19. Brady then drove New England downfield, including a 47 yarder to Randy Moss, and Maroney scored his second rush TD from two yards. On the next offensive play, Marques Colston turns a 10-yard catch into a 68-yard gain to the Patriots 6, and New Orleans gets another touchdown via a two-yard catch by backup TE Darnell Dinkins. In the fourth quarter, Brees hits Colston from 20 yards for his 5th passing TD of the game, and the game was sealed when Sharper got his 8th interception of the year, and Brady is pulled with 5:28 to go, replaced by backup Brian Hoyer. With the win, the Saints improve to 11-0. Drew Brees completed 18 of 23 passes for a season-high 371 yards, five touchdowns and his first-ever perfect passer rating of 158.3, and became the first to throw 5 TDs against a Bill Belichick-coached team. The television broadcast of the game on ESPN's Monday Night Football was the second-most-watched cable telecast of all time.. How many points were the Saints leading by at halftime?