Last season, with coach Sean Payton suspended for his role in the bounty scandal, New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees sank into a funk.
But with Payton back, the Saints and Brees are soaring again, and he will be the X-factor against the Falcons at 8:25 p.m. Thursday at the Georgia Dome.
“It’s always great to have your leader back,” Falcons linebacker Sean Weatherspoon said. “You can look at him and tell that he’s more comfortable.”
Brees has completed 277 of 406 passes (68.2 percent) for 3,369 yards, 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He has a passer rating of 106.7.
Brees and the Saints used a controversial penalty to help them rally to victory against San Francisco last week, as Brees pushed the ball around the field to 11 different receivers. He completed 30 of 43 passes for 305 yards in the 23-20 victory.
In the Saints’ 23-17 victory over the Falcons in the season opener Sept. 8, Brees completed 26 of 35 passes for 357 yards and two touchdowns. Darren Sproles and Marques Colston were his main targets as the Falcons tried to take tight end Jimmy Graham out of the offense.
He also connected with Kenny Stills for a 67-yard pass play.
Overall, Brees is 12-3 against the Falcons as New Orleans’ quarterback. He has a 100-plus passer rating in eight of those games and has passed for more than 300 yards in 10 of those games.
“He’s going to make plays,” Weatherspoon said. “He’s one of those quarterbacks that you can’t really trust. He does a good job of moving the defense in zone. I believe that it will be key to disguise what we do and make a lot of things look the same.”
In the teams’ previous meeting at the Georgia Dome on Nov. 29, the Falcons won 23-13 and intercepted Brees five times.
“You can’t go for his fakes,” Weatherspoon said. “There’s nobody there. He’s just faking and looking to throw you off. You have to stay true to your scheme and your job.”
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