But he never made it back, missing games with Atlanta and Kansas City after practicing on a limited basis early in the week. But Bush and coach Sean Payton said Wednesday, when the Saints returned to work to begin preparing for Sunday's key game at Tampa Bay, that this is the week.

"He's going to play," Payton said after Bush worked on a limited basis.

"I'm definitely a go this week," Bush said, adding he's 100 percent certain he'll be ready to do the things he did before the injury. "I know I said that last week, but it's definitely a go this week. I felt good today.

"Obviously, I didn't do a whole practice today. But I did a little bit here and there, kind of easing back into it. But I feel great, the leg feels great. It's the best it's felt since I injured it."

--Saints rookie defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis made the internet phenomenon YouTube for his celebratory Pee-wee Herman dance after sacking Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the fourth quarter Monday night.

"It was just something I did messing around with some of the guys on the offensive line," said Ellis, the Saints' top draft pick this spring. "I was joking around with them and told them I was going to do it. I was really just joking, and they were like, 'You should really do it.'"

So when he got to Rodgers for his second career sack, it was time -- especially with the Saints way out in front in an eventual 51-29 win.

"Sedrick said he was going to do it the first time he got a sack (earlier in the season), but he didn't," left tackle Jammal Brown said with a smile. "I knew this time it was coming out. I loved it ... I loved it."

"It was very creative, it came out of the woodwork," said defensive end Bobby McCrary, who watched Ellis' moves from a few feet away. "I've never seen anybody do that on a football field."

--The 51 points scored by the Saints against the Packers on Monday night was the most they've put up in Payton's 43-game tenure with the team and also equaled the franchise record.

The previous high under Payton came in a 42-17 blowout of the Dallas Cowboys in 2006. Their previous high this season came in a 37-32 win over the San Diego Chargers in London in Week 8.

The Saints tied the club's single-game scoring record when Pierre Thomas scored on a 31-yard run with 8:47 to play. It equaled the mark set in a 51-42 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Nov. 2, 1969, and a 51-27 bashing of the Seattle Seahawks on Nov. 21, 1976.

--Saints wide receiver Lance Moore, a former street free agent, will go for a record in Sunday's game at Tampa Bay.

When Moore scored on a 70-yard pass from Drew Brees in the first quarter, it marked his fourth straight game with a receiving TD -- tying the club mark. It was the ninth time a Saints player had caught at least one touchdown in four consecutive games.

Moore later caught a 14-yard scoring pass from Brees in the second period and now has a club-high seven receiving touchdowns this season.

--Brees was chosen as the NFC's Offensive Player of the Week for the third time this season after he completed 20 of 26 passes for 323 yards and four TDs in a 51-29 blowout of the Packers.

Brees did not throw an interception and was sacked only once. His passer rating of 157.5, which was eight-tenths shy of perfection, was his highest since joining the Saints in 2006. The Saints have a 14-4 record when he posts a passer rating of 100.0 or better.

Brees was also the NFC Offensive Player of the Month for September.

--Fourteen of 19 games played between the Saints and Buccaneers since 1992 have been decided by a touchdown or less, with the Saints holding a 9-5 edge in those contests.

The latest occurred in the season opener on Sept. 7 when the Saints held on for a 24-20 win over the Bucs on a last-minute interception by strong-side linebacker Scott Fujita.

The Saints and Bucs have met 13 times since they were both placed in the NFC South for realignment in 2002. The Saints hold a 7-6 advantage since they started playing twice each season.

BY THE NUMBERS: 39 -- Touchdowns scored by the Saints through 11 games. They need 11 in the final five games to break the club record of 49, which was set in 2006 and equaled in 2006.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "We've still got lots of things to work on. We've still got to get better. We've still got to look hard into the mirror and continue to critique ourselves. If we stop doing that, we're done. We all know what's at stake. We put two games together, and now we've got to make that three." -- Saints TE Jeremy Shockey, on Sunday's crucial game at Tampa Bay.