Falcons defensive end Vic Beasley is coming off the best game of his rookie season.
He rattled Carolina quarterback Cam Newton and closed the game with a sack and strip.
Beasley, who was taken with the eighth overall pick in the draft, will need to rise up and have another solid showing against the Saints and quarterback Drew Brees.
“Just attacking the quarterback,” said Beasley, who has four sacks this season. “If you let him sit back there, he’ll pick you apart.”
The Falcons had one sack and four hits against Brees in their 31-21 loss on Oct. 15, which stopped their five-game winning streak.
Brees connected with tight end Benjamin Watson for 10 catches and 127 yards and a touchdown in that game.
“We’ve learned a lot and have tried to build on that,” Beasley said. “They were able to get the ball to Watson. We plan to limit that as much as we can this game.”
The Falcons were pleased with Beasley’s play against the Panthers and hope that signals good things for the future.
“The fact that he was able to answer right at the end when we needed that most to create a play,” coach Dan Quinn said. “For him and (Adrian) Clayborn to connect on that play where he forced it and Adrian recovered it. Yeah, I was very pleased for him.
“The relentlessness of going and moving him off the spot, I saw him chasing out of the stack so that effort, you could feel that, and I thought it was even more visible as the game went on into the second half. I thought he played better than he did in the first half, so I was pleased with that.”
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