Miami @ New Orleans preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 29, 2013 ) New Orleans 21, Miami 24

Ryan Tannehill of the Miami Dolphins is used to flying under the radar as part of the much-ballyhooed NFL quarterback class of 2012. That will certainly be the case for the second-year signal caller on Monday night when he brings his unbeaten team into New Orleans for a prime-time showdown with Drew Brees and the undefeated Saints. Miami is seeking its first 4-0 start since 1995 and will try to knock off an NFC South power for the second straight week.

The return of head coach Sean Payton from a one-year suspension due to the Bountygate scandal has the Saints back on track after an 0-4 start torpedoed their 2012 season. Brees has surpassed 300 yards in each of the first three games, but the biggest change for New Orleans has come on the other side of the ball. The Saints allowed an NFL-worst 440.1 yards per game and ranked 31st in points allowed (28.4) last season, but they are yielding only 12.7 points so far.

TV: 8:40 p.m. ET, ESPN. LINE: Saints -6.5. O/U: 48.

ABOUT THE DOLPHINS (3-0): Miami opened some eyes by winning at Indianapolis in Week 2 and made a loud statement last week by erasing a 10-point second-half deficit to knock off Atlanta, which is expected to battle the Saints for the NFC South title. Tannehill threw the winning TD with 38 seconds left and is completing 66.4 percent of his passes despite getting sacked a league-high 14 times. The Dolphins are still searching for consistency from high-priced free-agent wideout Mike Wallace and running back Lamar Miller, but the defense ranks eighth in the league with an average of 17.7 points allowed.

ABOUT THE SAINTS (3-0): Brees has thrown for more than 1,000 yards and had three touchdown passes in last week's 31-7 rout of Arizona, but he has also been picked off four times. Part of that is due to a punchless running game that is producing only 85.7 yards, but tight end Jimmy Graham has four TD catches and is coming off back-to-back monster games after battling an ankle injury through much of last season. The Saints' best move of the offseason was bringing in defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, who implemented a 3-4 scheme that has New Orleans yielding 295.7 yard per game - fourth in the league.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Brees has won eight straight Monday Night Football games, throwing for 24 TDs against five interceptions.

2. Miami is expected to be without DE Cameron Wake (knee), who had 15 sacks last season but was injured in last week's game.

3. Saints WR Marques Colston has nine TD receptions in his last eight home games.

PREDICTION: Saints 30, Dolphins 20