Pro football in New England this season came to an ugly and unceremonious end on Jan. 10 at Gillette Stadium, leaving local football fans without a team to follow throughout the playoffs.

But for Patriots fans, there’s still a dog in the fight — the New Orleans Saints. There’s a lot to like about New Orleans, starting with the fact that Saints coach Sean Payton unabashedly admits to using New England as a blueprint for how he hopes the Saints operate.

“I don’t think you look to duplicate, or try to duplicate. We spend more time doing all the right things and trying to pay close attention to what New England’s done as an organization,” Payton said before the two teams met in November. “Certainly, they’ve been at the forefront of our league and — I said this earlier — if you’re in business, it would be silly not to pay attention to how they’ve been successful, their formula and their recipe.

“They’re an organization that’s done a lot of things well, overall, for a long period of time. We pay close attention each year to the different things that they’re doing to have success.”

Look, New Orleans is by no means a perfect franchise. (Any team that has Jeremy Shockey has a hard time being classified as lovable. And the owner is no day at the beach either, especially after the display of premature jocularity that the world witnessed here — the money shot is at about the 35-second mark.) The truth is, if you need a team to root for in a postseason that is quickly becoming a nightmare for New England football fans — choosing between the Jets and the Colts is like trying to decide between a paper cut across the eyeball or a root canal without Novocain, while Brett Favre is just a kid havin’ fun out there — the Saints remain the best option left.

Here are four reasons why Patriots fans should be pulling for New Orleans the rest of the way:

THE 2009 SAINTS OFFENSE IS A DIRECT DESCENDENT OF THE 2007 PATRIOTS

This year’s New Orleans offensive powerhouse stirs memories of New England’s 2007 aerial assault on the NFL, a shock-and-awe powerhouse that can turn a seven-point deficit into a 14-point lead in the blink of an eye. Behind quarterback Drew Brees, the Saints have shredded opposing defenses all season long, and they led the league in almost every major offensive category during the regular season, including total points (510), points per game (31.9), total yards (6,461) and average yards per game (403.8), all numbers that compare favorably to the 2007 Patriots.

Of course, the Saints don’t have the Tom Brady-to-Randy Moss signature combo, but they have a great quarterback, a bunch of classic No. 2 receivers (guys such as Devery Henderson, Marques Colston and Robert Meachem, all of whom had 700-plus yards receiving) and a running game that’s just good enough to keep opposing defenses honest (sparked by Pierre Thomas and Mike Bell, New Orleans averages 4.5 yards per game). And the Saints have a great game-breaker in Reggie Bush.

The faces and the schemes are different, but for the 2009 Saints, the attitude is the same: They are looking to score every time they are on the field, and they are unapologetic in their approach.

THE CITY AND ITS FOOTBALL FANS HAVE WAITED LONG ENOUGH FOR A TITLE

New Orleans football fans have been tortured in a special way over the years, and Saints fans in particular would appear to be kindred spirits with Patriots fans. Like New England, the Saints were bad for a long time — New Orleans went 20 consecutive seasons before it posted an above-.500 record. Like New England, bad football was often a way of life with the Saints, who became a national punch line when fans started wearing bags on their heads to games back in the 1980s.

This is a franchise that, before this season, had just five seasons where it won 10 games or more dating back to its inception in 1967. Mike Ditka mortgaged his entire draft for Ricky Williams, then the two posed together on the cover of a magazine as bride and groom. To make matters worse, before 2005, owner Tom Benson was looking to play every angle in an attempt to get the Saints out of the city.

But in the midst of a dream season, the city has embraced the team, and the team has embraced the city. After reading Peter King’s feature on Drew Brees in Sports Illustrated — in which he artfully describes the relationship between the quarterback and the city — you cannot help but root for the Saints, and Brees in particular. And after walking the streets around the Superdome and witnessing the city and its relationship with the team, you cannot help but root for the Saints.

THE SAINTS WINNING THE SUPER BOWL MEANS BRETT FAVRE, PEYTON MANNING AND REX RYAN DON’T WIN ONE

The very thought of the unctuous Favre lifting another Super Bowl trophy is difficult to stomach for any football fan outside of the Land of 10,000 Lakes. But Peyton Manning getting his second ring or Rex Ryan and the Jets walking away with a championship (especially when you consider how the Jets reached the postseason after their own coach thought they were eliminated) is enough to make any New England fan queasy.

THE SAINTS HAVE A COUPLE OF EX-PATRIOTS WHO REALLY DESERVE A RING

New Orleans has more former Patriots on its roster than any of the conference finalists, but two guys on the Saints roster were some of the best individuals ever to walk the halls at Gillette Stadium.

First, defensive back Randall “Blue” Gay, who played for the Patriots from 2004-07, was one of the funniest and most well-liked guys in the locker room when he played in New England. The undrafted free agent was mostly used as a nickel back but was pressed into service in a number of key games, including Super Bowl XXXIX, where he started opposite Asante Samuel. He finished with 11 solo tackles — most of them against Eagles wide receiver Terrell Owens, against whom he was matched up for most of the evening. When he signed a free agent deal with the Saints before the 2008 season, everyone was happy for Gay, who got a sweet contract and the chance to play in his home state.

Then there’s fullback Heath Evans, a stand-up guy who always talked with the media when he was in New England — whether things were going good or bad. Evans was always one of the nicest and most decent guys on the roster (he is active with his foundation, which is committed to helping abused children). He signed as a free agent with the Saints in March 2009. However, he suffered a season-ending knee injury in an Oct. 25 win over the Dolphins in Miami.

There’s also tight end Dave Thomas and fullback Kyle Eckel, two complementary players who struggled but couldn’t find a niche with the Patriots.

(For what it’s worth, the Jets have three ex-Patriots — linebacker Larry Izzo, who’s on IR, as well as offensive lineman Damien Woody and quarterback Kevin O’Connell. The Vikings have two, wide receiver Greg Lewis and tight end Garrett Mills, while the Colts have one, kicker Adam Vinatieri.)