Five keys to Falcons game against Saints

By D. Orlando Ledbetter

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

1. With or without Michael Turner, the Falcons need to establish a ground game. The offensive line, which could be without at least two starters and possibly three, will have to open some holes for running backs Jerious Norwood and Jason Snelling if Turner is not able to play.

Turner ran for 151 yards in the last Saints' meeting. His yards were critical to the Falcons' comeback and helped to dominate most of the third quarter.

"I have full confidence that our running backs are going to come through and we'll have a good game running game this week," quarterback Chris Redman said. "Hopefully we can just put it all together, [that] running game, passing game and the offense will be OK."

The Falcons, who predicate their attack on the running game, have not rushed for more than 100 yards in the last three games. Norwood had 11 carries last week. His season-high was 12 against San Francisco.

The Falcons may have to lean more heavily on him, even though he's playing through a hip flexor injury that caused him to miss five games.

"I'm willing to do whatever the team needs me to do," Norwood said.

Cover Robert Meachem

2. The Saints' 2007 first-round pick is emerging as one of the league's top deep threats. He has 29 catches for 544 yards (18.8 per catch) and eight touchdowns, including seven over of his last five games.

He's tied for the team lead with Marques Colston in touchdown catches and leads the NFL in yards per catch.

"He's definitely gaining a lot of confidence," Falcons free safety Thomas DeCoud said. "Once you get that confidence, you can kind of sky-rocket. I feel like he's gained more confidence and momentum. He's playing a lot better."

Meachem was left wide open on crossing routes in the Saints' last two games against Washington and New England.

"The cross-country routes and crossing routes by their receivers are a big part of their offense," DeCoud said. "We definitely have to make sure that we don't slack in that part of our defensive plan."

Secondary is under the microscope

3. The Saints' explosive passing attack is ranked third in the league and averages 286.4 yards per game. Quarterback Drew Brees passed for 291 yards and two touchdowns in the previous Falcons meeting.

"They are just attacking all game and they are hoping that guys make mistakes," said cornerback Brent Grimes, whowill likely start at right cornerback for Chris Houston (hamstring). "Their routes are precise and Drew Brees throws the ball on time."

The Falcons will not be able to key on just one receiver.

Colston (50 catches), tight end Jeremy Shockey (44), wide receiver Devery Henderson (40) and running back Reggie Bush (33) all have more than 30 receptions.

"That's one of the things that makes it difficult with the Saints," Grimes said. "One week Meachem is making some big catches. The next week it's Colston. Then they might try to get Reggie Bush some catches. Then there is Shockey. ... It's a whole offense and that's what makes them so successful."

Beware of the big-gainers

4. On top of all the other staggering numbers, the Saints lead the league in gains of 20 yards or more with 63.

The Falcons have given up 55 plays of 20 yards or more, including six to the Saints in their first meeting.

Brees completed passes of 30 yards (Meachem), 29 yards (Colston), 27 yards (Shockey) and 24 yards (Henderson) in the first meeting. They Saints also ripped off some big runs, including a 30-yarder and a 22-yarder from underrated running back Pierre Thomas.

Falcons coach Mike Smith, a former defensive coordinator, can't possibly be pleased.

"Explosive plays are normally caused by one of four things," Smith said. "Three of the four are on the defensive players. Very rarely do you see a great throw and a great catch.

"It's usually a mental error, a missed tackle or poor leverage. Those are the three things that contribute to an explosive play. Right now we are not handling the explosive plays. We are 31st in the league in terms of giving up the explosive plays. It's something that we've been working on and trying to address all season long. It's something that we haven't gotten fixed."

Stay on the attack

5. The Saints have pulled some rabbits out of their hat this season.

Carolina and Washington both had them on the ropes late in the day, but couldn't close out the game with the knockout blow. Even lowly St. Louis was driving for victory before they ran out of time. If the Falcons get a chance to put the Saints away, they'll absolutely need to finish them off.

Despite the mounting injuries and questions at quarterback ‚ì even if quarterback Matt Ryan plays, he won't likely be near 100 percent ‚ì the Falcons don't seem on edge with their playoff hopes on the line.

"Surprisingly, we are pretty loose," tight end Tony Gonzalez said. "I think that's a good sign."

The Falcons need to pull off the shocker to stay in the playoff race.

"Everybody knows the challenge that we have coming in here this week," Gonzalez said. "I'm sure nobody is going to give us a chance."

Key matchups

Saints QB Drew Brees vs. Falcons secondary: Brees completed 35 of 40 passes last week against the Redskins. He's extremely dangerous because he spreads the ball around his talented receiving corps. The Falcons have given up 48 pass plays of 20 yards or more, including four in their first meeting on Nov. 2. If the secondary tries to take away the deep ball, Brees will work underneath to tight end Jeremy Shockey and running back Reggie Bush.

Falcons LG Justin Blalock vs. Saints DT Sedrick Ellis: Ellis returned to the staring lineup two games ago against New England after missing four games with a knee injury. Blalock and Ellis didn't square off the in the first meeting. Ellis' combination of speed and power could cause Blalock problems.

Falcons LT Sam Baker/Will Svitek vs. Saints DE Will Smith: Baker is battling a tough elbow injury and may have to give way to Svitek. Baker had enough trouble with Smith when he had two good arms in the first meeting. Baker was a last-minute scratch last Sunday because of concerns about how effective he would be playing with an elbow brace. The Falcons may have to chip block him with a running back or go to max protection to prevent Smith from destroying the pocket.

Falcons will win if . . .

The defense can put some heat on Brees: In the first matchup, the Falcons did get some hits on Brees. Defensive end Kroy Biermann scored a touchdown off a Thomas DeCoud sack and forced fumble. Defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux got a sack. When the Falcons blitz, they'll need to eget to Brees and disrupt his timing as much as possible.

Don't turn the ball over: The Saints are second in the league with a plus-15 takeaways. They have forced 36 turnovers all together, including three interceptions in the first Falcons game. Cornerback Jabari Greer had a 48-yard interception return for a touchdown in that previous meeting. The Saints have returned seven turnovers for touchdowns this season.

Specials teams come up with some big plays: With the Falcons' offense depleted by injury, it would be helpful if the special teams contributed. They'll need the blockers to spring Eric Weems in the return game. Or if they could block a punt, it would help their upset bid immensely. The coaching staff has to pull out all the stops to win this one. Jason Elam missed two field goals in the last game, but the Falcons will need touchdowns, not fields, to derail the Saints.

Compiled by D. Orlando Ledbetter