FLOWERY BRANCH — Falcons Pro Bowl safety Jessie Bates III and Saints quarterback Derek Carr will be in a battle of football wits when the Falcons (7-9) face the Saints (8-8) at 1 p.m. Sunday at Caesars Superdome.
In the teams’ previous meeting, the Falcons’ 25-14 win on Nov. 26, Bates intercepted Carr and returned the football 92 yards for a touchdown. The battle between Bates and Carr will be the X-factor in the game.
“It’s 11-on-11, but there is going to be some of that matchup and how we manipulate some of the coverages that we are playing and the looks that we are going to give,” Falcons defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen said. “There is that cat-and-mouse game going on. Jessie does a really good job of it. I think he has a really good grasp of what we are doing.”
Nielsen will move Bates around on the defense.
“Here, coach Nielsen does a great job of switching that up,” Bates said. “Sometimes I’m in the box. I’m blitzing more than I have before. That is something that I have to get better at.”
Carr has led the Saints to wins in three of their past four games and is completing 73% of his passes over that stretch.
“Derek Carr is playing at a high level,” Nielsen said. “Particularly right now, the last couple of games, he’s very accurate. He’s throwing the ball on time. He’s not taking a lot of sacks. The guy is playing some really good football.”
Carr completed 24 of 38 passes for 304 yards in the previous meeting. All the Saints could muster was five field goals by kicker Blake Grupe.
“What we are going to have to do, is we’re going to have to try to disguise some things and take him off the first route and give time for the (defensive) line to get there),” Nielsen said.
Carr’s top receiver is Chris Olave, while tight end Juwan Johnson is coming off an eight-catch game.
“It all starts with the quarterback, the guy is really playing fantastic,” Nielsen said. “He really is. Derek is distributing the ball. He’s getting the ball out. He knows the reads. He knows where to go. They are on the same page.”
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