Although many believe the New Orleans Saints are among the top teams in the NFL this season, not many believe they have a chance to fail the Super Bowl.

Some think that at the end of the season, the New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, or Baltimore Ravens might win the Super Bowl.

But the Saints should be favorites in the 2011 Super Bowl. They have often shown this year that they are capable of defeating the most formidable opponents and proving their detractors wrong, but they do not appear to be a credible title candidate.

The Saints should be favored as Super Bowl contenders just because of Drew Brees.In terms of completion percentage (70.9) and throwing yards (4,368), he now leads the league. In terms of touchdowns (32) and quarterback rating (105.7), he is ranked third in the league. Although Brees has had an incredible 2011 season thus far, he has excelled greatly in November and December.

In fact, over the last four weeks of the NFL season, no quarterback has performed better than Brees. Brees has completed 11 touchdown passes for 1,364 yards and zero interceptions since Week 11. With 70.1 percent of his throws completed, he has a passer rating of 119.0.

Contrast that with the quarterback position this year, where Brees appears to be primarily competing with Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady. Rodgers has passed for 1,256 yards, 11 touchdowns, and three interceptions in the 11 games since Week 11. With a passer rating of 107.8, he has completed 63 percent of his passes.

Brees’ performance on the field has increased recently, while Brady and Rodgers have both slowed down a bit. The Saints are suddenly a contender for the Super Bowl thanks to Brees, and given his recent performance, they ought to be the favorites to win the 2011 game.