The Louisiana Superdome has proven to be a memorable venue since it first opened its doors in 1975.

It's where the 2001 Patriots proved anything is possible. It's where Michael Jordan, then a University of North Carolina freshman, first proved he was something special. It's where Fab Five forward Chris Webber proved he couldn't remember how many timeouts Michigan had. It's where Sugar Ray Leonard proved he could make Roberto Duran say, "no mas."

The building itself proved its worth during Hurricane Katrina, acting as a super-sized sanctuary and storm shelter.

Once again, this Monday night, the Superdome will serve as a proving ground because both the Patriots and Saints enter the Big Game in the Big Easy with a lot to prove -- to themselves and to the rest of the NFL.

Despite the Saints' 10-0 record and threatening of the Patriots' 2007 perfect regular season and marks for points in a season and touchdowns, it's difficult to discern who needs this game more. Sitting at 7-3, the Patriots have yet to beat an opponent that currently carries a winning record. In part, that is semantics, because next week's opponent, the Miami Dolphins, sit at 5-5 entering this Sunday, when they will play the Buffalo Bills.

Still, the Patriots lack both a season-defining victory or a true road win this season and could get both by beating the Saints. A win over the Saints would substantiate the Patriots' season.

The Saints are also searching for validation.

New Orleans wants to prove its impressive 10-0 start is not a statistical mirage, that its gaudy numbers really do add up to being one of the NFL's best teams. While they've had the most impressive season of any NFL team thus far, leading the league in points per game (36.9), total offense (420.5) and takeaways (29), there is a sense in some circles that while the Saints are a good team, they're not a great one.

Don't tell that to Patriots coach Bill Belichick.

"They’re as good as anybody we’ve faced," Belichick told the New Orleans media. "There are no weaknesses. The players are good. The coaches are good. The schemes are difficult. They’re playing at home. It’s Monday night. There will be a lot of energy in the dome. We know we have our work cut out for us."

When it comes to NFL credibility, New Orleans is nouveau riche and the Patriots are old money. A win over the Patriots would substantiate the Saints' arrival among the NFL elite.

That's what makes Monday night's game so interesting -- both teams have something to prove, but only one of them can walk away saying, "Told you so."

The Patriots' re-tooled defense ranks second in the NFL in points allowed (16.4) and sixth in pass defense, yet there are still doubts after Indianapolis about their ability to shut down a high-powered offense and come up with the big stop when it really counts. Shutting down Saints quarterback Drew Brees, who racks up passing yards like an inebriated college student collects beads at Mardi Gras, would prove their point, emphatically and in front of a national television audience.

"This game everybody is going to be watching us. This is going to be the game to make a stand," said Patriots cornerback Jonathan Wilhite.

On the flip side, Brees, who since 2006 leads the NFL in passing attempts (2,161), completions (1,427) and yards (16,656) and is tied with Peyton Manning in touchdown passes (110), wants to prove that the Tom Brady-Peyton Manning best NFL quarterback debate has another candidate; that he belongs in the QB discourse. What better way to do that than by lighting up Brady's team like Bourbon Street?

Saints coach Sean Payton has made no secret of the fact that the Patriots are the paragon the Saints have looked to emulate. A win over Belichick and the Patriots proves that Payton and the Saints are no longer striving to emulate the Patriots. They are now peers competing for the same prize.

Conversely, the Patriots want to prove that they can win a real road game and that they can beat a fellow Super Bowl contender. The Patriots will have three more shots at a real road win, even if they leave the Crescent City crestfallen with a loss, like they exited Indianapolis, but this is their last shot at a statement victory because no remaining team on the schedule carries the cachet of the 10-0 Saints.

Plus, a Patriots' loss and a Dolphins win this Sunday would mean next week's trip to South Florida would suddenly be for the AFC East lead.

The Patriots want to prove that the Indianapolis loss and their well-documented inability to execute in the second half, particularly on the road (they were shut out against the Jets and Broncos and only scored 10 points at Indy) are football flukes, just like at the beginning of the season when it took until the sixth game to have a rush of 20 yards or greater and a pass play of 40 yards or greater.

The Saints will be out to prove that it's not a fluke that they have a better finishing kick than Usain Bolt, outscoring their opponents 188-78 in the second half. Only one can prove true.

The New England offense would like to demonstrate it can run the ball consistently to create some balance. The New Orleans defense, which has allowed 100-yard rushers three of the last four weeks, would like to demonstrate it can stop getting run over.

For a few hours on Monday night, Louisiana, and not Missouri, will act as the Show Me state.

There is a lot for both the Patriots and the Saints to prove inside the climate-controlled confines of the Superdome, and the process of watching them try to do it should prove highly entertaining.