The game day weather in Atlanta for the Saints and Falcons much anticipated match up was about as ugly as the rivalry between these two teams: Cold, rainy and crummy. But soon the clouds and rain cleared and the temperature began a steady climb. (Oh yeah, this Saints fan could feel the heat.) Just when that hot air, mainly from trash talking Falcons fans, almost seemed oppressive, the conditions improved dramatically.

Gotta love a cool afternoon Brees.

All us Saints fans who schleped in the crappy conditions to the Georgia Dome knew full well that victory was the only option for the Saints. Leave it up to those boys to keep it interesting. They gave up a double digit lead in the second half to let the Falcons rally back and tie the game. The tension in the air was palpable. The Dirty Birds, who are about as likely to make the playoffs as Tiger Woods is to wear a condom, still had a lot at stake. They wanted nothing more than to be the team to hand the Saints their first loss. But for the 13th time this season, the Saints wanted the win more.

There’s almost no need to recap the game. You saw it and beyond that you felt it. You felt that chill in the fourth quarter after Jon Vilma’s interception on a potential game winning drive for the Falcons. You felt that wave of relief after the defense stopped the Saints on 4th and 2 during their final drive of the game. You felt that rush of excitement upon realizing we’d pulled it off…again. We beat our enemy, on their turf. Beyond that, we got ourselves one step closer to what appears to be our destiny.

Is it starting to feel real Saints fans? I know, I know…we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves. But forget the undefeated crap, let’s just talk champion-esque resilience. This team has been tested in so many ways and on so many different levels. Yet, they find a way to pull through. They never give up. They never relent. They make big plays when it matters most and they create opportunities. They are not the Patriots of 2007. They’re on a newer, much hungrier level. And they’re making it known around the league that if you want to beat them, you’ll need to do it by outmatching them on every phase, even the intangibles like momentum, confidence, passion, and intensity.

I’ll admit, my heart started racing with a few minutes left in that fourth quarter. I needed my boys to pull through. But here’s what’s different this year Saints fans. It’s not just our passionate army on the sidelines willing them to win. They’re willing and fighting and clawing themselves to victory.

The Saints found a way to endure the storm. And so did us fans. Those umbrellas we used to shield ourselves from the elements as we walked to the Georgia Dome made for the perfect second line prop on our triumphant march to the streets.