The Saints are for real.

The now 5-1 Saints defeated a red-hot Eagles team in the raucous Louisiana Superdome on Sunday, utilizing an offense that was at times dominant and a defense that was at times smothering. The Saints jumped on the Eagles early, scoring ten points in the first quarter when the ever-efficient Brees and the Saints ground game held the ball for over ten minutes.

The game would end at the end of an eight minute, twenty-six second drive where the Saints converted four first downs and kneeled off the final two minutes before allowing veteran K John Carney to win the game on a 31-yard field goal.

The Saints opened with an impressive 11-play drive that took the first six minutes off the clock but stalled at the Eagles 21. Carney put the first and last points of the day on the board with a 39-yard field goal. The Eagles collected a first down but would punt, and the Saints responded with an 80-yard 4:49 drive that was aided by a penalty on Eagles LB Matt McCoy, who shook up RB Reggie Bush with a brutal sling-down out of pounds after Bush had already converted a 3rd and 2. Brees found WR Joe Horn down the middle seam for their first of two touchdown connections and the Saints led 10-0 at the end of the first quarter.

The Eagles couldn't respond, rattling off three punts in the second quarter. The Eagles got a chance in the second with an interception by CB Lito Sheppard. Brees' deep ball down the middle was exciting to everyone but Saints reserve WR Jamal Jones: Jones didn't see the ball in the air and tailed off his deep route while Sheppard made a clean catch of the ball at the goal line. An offensive pass interference call on the next play would help force another three-and-out by the Eagles, who would manage a 47-yard field goal after an 11-play drive in the middle of the second. McNabb would be forced into using a pair of timeouts on that drive, perhaps because of a seismic Saints home field advantage of over 68000.

The Saints responded from the field goal with a nine-yard run by RB Deuce McAllister, part of his 12 rush, 64 yard day that also featured six catches for 36 yards. McAllister missed parts of the first half with a cramp that allowed RB Aaron Stecker a handful of touches, but returned. The Saints couldn't convert the first down on two more McAllister rushes and were forced to punt. Rookie P Steve Weatherford's mortar shot was not cleanly fielded by PR Dexter Wynn, whose own man ran into him. Gunner Terrance Copper, a reserve receiver who was not one of 10 Saints to catch a Brees pass on the day, scooped up the ball and raced into the end zone. But in the NFL, the offense cannot advance a recovered muffed punt, so the Saints had the ball but no touchdown at the Philadelphia 19 with 1:44 left and a 10-3 lead.

McAllister rushed up the middle for 11 hard yards and three plays later, Brees hit rookie WR Marques Colston on the quick out. The 6'4, 231 pound target bullied his way through two defensive backs for his first catch of the day. The score put the Saints up 17-3 with 15 seconds left on the clock. QB Donovan McNabb's hail mary bomb as time expired was intercepted by LB Scott Fujita at the bottom of the pile, and the Saints into the locker room with a two touchdown lead and an enormous surge of momentum.

But the momentum would not last. QB Donovan McNabb had so far directed the NFL's top passing offense, but would be held down just enough by a Saints defense that buried the Eagles in the first half, holding them to three points and 106 yards. But McNabb started off a disastrous third quarter for the Saints with a three-play touchdown drive to open the second half that was capped by a 60-yard catch and run by WR Reggie Brown, who evaded and outran the Saints secondary across the field.

The Saints would gain two first downs but punt, then follow it with a three and out, and the Eagles scored again at the end of the third quarter on a quick strike to TE LJ Smith. That drive was powered by a big gain by Smith, who somehow hauled in a low pass from McNabb, who was under duress, and rumbled 29 yards downfield. Sean Payton challenged the catch, a fingertip grab by Smith at this ankles, but it was upheld. McNabb hit Brown for 17 then got 20 more when Josh Bullocks was called for pass interference. LB Scott Fujita dropped Brian Westbrook for a five yard loss, one of eight tackles on a monster day for Fujita, who collected a sack, a hurry and two pass defenses.

But McNabb rebounded in this magical third quarter, hitting Reggie Brown for 16 and then the touchdown to Smith which tied the game at 17. But the Saints' woes weren't quite over. The Saints got the ball back, but Brees was called for intentional grounding on second down and had his pass deflected by DB Juqua Thomas and intercepted by DT Darwin Walker to end the quarter. RB Reggie Bush, who was hardly quiet but limited to 25 on the ground, 35 in the air and 29 on punt returns, made a courageous dive tackle on the massive Walker, who was rumbling downfield after the catch.

On the next play, the Eagles completed their Saint-stunning comeback when the dynamic Reggie Brown took an end around for 15 yards virtually untouched into the end zone. McNabb, in some quarters the top player in the NFL, iso-blocked DE Will Smith out of the play. Shocked, the Saints were down by seven in the fourth quarter after dominating the first half. But QB Drew Brees' day was not done.

Brees hit Jamal Jones and Colston on intermediate routes for a first down, then with 13:01 left in the game responded directly to the Eagles' score. Rolling to his right, Brees pumped and Horn put a wicked move on his man, pulling wide open deep down the middle. Brees stopped, set his feet and fired, hitting Horn who outran two Eagles into the end zone to tie the game back up at 24-24.

The Eagles came back with a drive that summed two more first downs, but DE Charles Grant buried McNabb for the Saints' third sack of the day, and the Eagles used their second timeout. An incomplete pass forced the Eagles to punt.

McNabb wouldn't touch the ball again.

Taking over with 8:26 left, Brees took over. QB Drew Brees hit his first nine and his last eleven passes on Sunday. Even with a holding penalty on Jammal Brown, which negated a 7-yard Reggie Bush run and set the Saints up with first and 20 with a 4:41 to go in the game, couldn't stop the Saints on this fateful drive. The Saints got a three-yard Deuce burst, a seven yard Stecker catch and run, five yards from the Eagles for 12 men on the field, and picked up the first down when Brees hit TE Mark Campbell, who bruised a pair of Eagles defenders for a seven yard gain. Campbell got up and gave a fist-pumping exaltation.

But overcoming great adversity, whether it be a first and 20, Hurricane Katrina or a red-hot Eagles offense, is something this city can do. After Campbell's huge conversion, the Saints picked up one more first down on a Deuce catch and runs by a Bush and Deuce. That brought the Saints down to the two minute warning after the Eagles used their final timeout. With first and goal at the Eagle nine yard line, the Saints came out in safety formation and kneeled three times to burn off the final two minutes. The dome, which was ear-splittingly loud and forced the Eagles into a handful of false starts and wasted time outs, was silent as Carney set up for his 31-yard game winner.

It was good, and the crowd and Saints sideline exploded.

The Saints defense won just enough matchups with the Eagles offense on the day, regularly pressuring McNabb and holding the Eagles to 99 yards on the ground. Of McNabb's 247 passing yards, he got more than half - 129 - in the third quarter. The versatile McNabb was also contained on the ground, not collecting a rush while he was sacked three times.

It was also a game of former teammates, but the Saints' ex-Eagles outshined the Eagles' ex-Saints. New Saints DT Hollis Thomas and LB Mark Simoneau summed eight tackles, a sack and three hurries. Thomas' early sack of McNabb shorted out the Eagles' first drive, and came when Thomas bullrushed the inside of the Eagles' line and with one arm shoved McNabb stumbling to the ground. The player the Eagles acquired with the draft pick they acquired when Thomas was sent to the Saints on the second day of the 2006 NFL Draft, guard Max Jean-Gilles, was inactive.

The Eagles' additions of DE Darren Howard and WR Donte Stallworth were quiet. Stallworth didn't play because of a hamstring injury - sound familiar? - while Howard's three tackles and a pass defense were unremarkable.

WR Joe Horn's second touchdown of the day tied him with Eric Martin for the franchise career record.

The Saints are off in Week 7 of the NFL regular season and return to action in two weeks against the Baltimore Ravens in the Superdome.