by SHELDON MICKLES; Advocate sportswriter; , The Advocate

It seems that after making their way past six opponents with very little difficulty - winning every game by a double-digit margin - the Saints couldn't get through thousands of partying fans.

Thanks to the NFL schedule-maker, there's no chance of that happening tonight - at least at the airport.

"Maybe we'll have a party in the Superdome," Saints running back Pierre Thomas said with a smile.

Of course, that's exactly what about 70,000 fans will be expecting when the Saints (6-0) open NFC South play against the Atlanta Falcons (4-2) at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN's Monday Night Football.

While the Saints will be going after only the second 7-0 start in franchise history, which would match the 1991 team, a win would put even more distance between themselves and the other teams in the NFC South.

Already leading the division by two full games, a victory would give the Saints a three-game cushion and put additional pressure on the Falcons.

But the division standings won't be on the Saints' minds tonight.

"We just think about winning ... that's all we're thinking about," said Saints tight end Jeremy Shockey. "Obviously, we know what our record is but all we're thinking about is winning against the Atlanta Falcons.

"At the end of the day, let's count the chips up and cash out and get out of the casino," he added. "We're not thinking, 'If we win this game, we're up this much,' or, 'If we lose, it's this much.' That's not the mentality."

On Thursday, Saints cornerback Randall Gay said he could prove that they were only thinking about the Falcons.

"I just asked somebody who we play (after the Falcons), and he said he didn't know - just like I didn't know," Gay said. "That's a good thing. We focus on who we have this week. Atlanta gives us enough to think about to not worry about who we're playing next week."

It's easy to see why they feel that way.

The Falcons, who made the playoffs last season, are coming off a 37-21 setback to the Dallas Cowboys. In going 11-5 in 2008 and 4-2 this year, they've not lost two in a row under second-year coach Mike Smith.

The Saints split with the Falcons last season, losing 34-20 in the Georgia Dome before winning 29-25 in the Superdome.

"It's a divisional game and I think our players understand the significance of that," Saints coach Sean Payton said. "They understand the opponent. We saw them twice last year and we know that it's a tough challenge."

While quarterback Drew Brees runs the top-ranked offense in the league for Payton, the Falcons have some big-time weapons of their own in second-year quarterback Matt Ryan, the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2008, running back Michael Turner and wide receiver Roddy White.

Brees, who threw for a touchdown and ran for two more in bringing his team back from a 24-3 second-quarter deficit against the Dolphins, will be eyeing a Falcons defense that was hit for six pass plays of 20 yards or longer -including a pair of touchdowns - in the loss to the Cowboys.

"They got hit in a couple of pressures when they weren't able to get to the quarterback, so they had receivers with a lot of time to work downfield and the Cowboys did a good job of taking advantage of some of those," Brees said. "They've been very good in the red zone in holding teams to field goals, so they're doing a good job there."

Brees said this game couldn't be any bigger for his team at this point.

Unlike Shockey, Brees is looking at where the Saints could be after this game.

The difference in being one up on the Falcons or three up when the sun comes up Tuesday is huge, Brees said.

"That's a big swing," he said. "And, it's at home and on Monday night. All those reasons are why you want to go out and play well and win the game."

Naturally, it doesn't take much for Saints fans to get excited about a game with the Falcons - their longtime rivals - no matter which day of the week it's played on.

"I can only imagine that it's going to be crazy. Every time we play Atlanta, it's a big deal," said Thomas. "It's a big game, and there's going to be a lot of excitement in the Dome. That's what we need from our fans. It's going to be a huge, exciting game."

If the Saints win, the fans will be ready to celebrate - this time indoors.

"That was nuts. That was crazy, absolutely crazy," Brees said of last week's rowdy reception. "It was like a block party. It turned into Bourbon Street, we had a little mini-French Quarter right there at the airport. It was wild."

Falcons at Saints

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. today.

WHERE: Superdome, New Orleans.

TV: ESPN.

RADIO: WYPY-FM, 100.7

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