FLOWERY BRANCH — Two seasons ago, the New Orleans Saints rode a wave of turnovers to the franchise’s first Super Bowl title.
They clinched the victory over the Indianapolis Colts when cornerback Tracy Porter stepped in front of a Peyton Manning pass and returned the interception 74 yards for a touchdown.
Entering Sunday’s game, it’s the Saints who are struggling to get turnovers. Meanwhile, the Falcons have a streak of 27 games in which they forced at least one.
“A streak like that just doesn’t happen,” Saints coach Sean Payton said. “They do a very good job of applying pressure to the quarterback, hurrying up his throws, getting the ball out when they are tackling.”
The Falcons’ streak is the longest since Chicago posted 25 consecutive games with a takeaway in 2007 and 2008, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
“It has to do with the way that our team runs to the football, and that’s not only on defense,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said. “Again, one of those games that kept that streak alive [included] a special-teams turnover. So, I think a lot of it has to do with the way that we run to the football.”
On Oct. 23 against Detroit, rookie linebacker Akeem Dent forced a fumble on a kickoff return.
“It’s something that we preach,” Smith said. “We preach creating turnovers and ball security. We work on techniques to attack the ball and take the ball away.”
On the second play from scrimmage Sunday against Indianapolis, middle linebacker Curtis Lofton forced Colts running back Delone Carter to fumble, and defensive end Ray Edwards recovered.
“It kind of set the tone for us,” linebacker Sean Weatherspoon said. “It’s something that we’ve been working at and getting better at. You have to be lucky, too. You have to have guys flying around.”
The Falcons forced three turnovers in victories over Philadelphia on Sept. 18 and Carolina on Oct. 16. The team has 10 interceptions and five fumble recoveries this season.
Seven different players, including defensive tackle Corey Peters and defensive end Kroy Biermann, have interceptions. Safety Thomas DeCoud leads the team with three.
The defense has forced eight fumbles, but has recovered five of them. Edwards has made two recoveries.
“Atlanta’s has been very opportunistic,” Payton said.
For the season, the Falcons have a plus-2 turnover ratio, which ranks 13th in the NFL. The Saints have a minus-6 ratio, which ranks 26th. During their Super Bowl season, the Saints had a plus-11, which ranked third in the league.
“Statistically that’s been an important number when you look at games like this,” Payton said. “We try to pay attention to the pertinent numbers and certainly turnovers, we feel like, is the most important. When you play a real good team on the road, it’s a challenge to begin with. When you turn the football over or you’re not able to come with the turnovers, your chances quickly diminish.”
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