FLOWERY BRANCH -- With the NFC South title on the line, the Falcons (9-5) face the New Orleans Saints (11-3) at 8:30 p.m. Monday at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
Here is a look at how the Falcons’ pass offense matches up against the Saints’ pass defense.
Falcons' starters: Quarterback Matt Ryan, tight end Tony Gonzalez, wide receivers Roddy White and Julio Jones.
Falcons' key reserves: Wide receiver Harry Douglas, running backs Jacquizz Rodgers and Jason Snelling.
Saints' starters: Left cornerback Jabari Greer, right cornerback Tracy Porter, strong safety Roman Harper, free safety Malcolm Jenkins.
Saints' key reserves: Cornerbacks Patrick Robinson, and Leigh Torrence and safety Jonathan Amaya.
Matchup to watch: Jones vs. Greer and Porter.
While the Falcons will have all of their weapons this time around, they were successful passing against the Saints without rookie standout Jones in their earlier matchup.
The Falcons average 255.8 yards passing, ninth in the NFL. The Saints have allowed 256.1 yards, which ranks 28th.
“When we look at them as compared to what they were six weeks ago when we played them, I think they’re pretty similar,” Ryan said. “I think they’ve been pretty consistent since [Saints defensive coordinator] Gregg Williams has been down there. The one thing you can expect with them is some different looks and a lot of blitzing.”
The Saints registered just one sack and two quarterback hits in their 26-23 overtime victory against Atlanta on Nov. 13, but they were nasty on third down, holding the Falcons to 5-of-16 (31 percent) on conversions.
“We got into a lot of third-and-longs and they were hard to overcome,” Falcons offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey said.
Ryan is aware that the Saints like to move free safety Malcolm Jenkins around.
“He wears a number of different hats in their defense and moves into a number of different spots,” Ryan said. “He’s extremely athletic, has very good speed and he’s also a really, really physical player. I think he’s done a great job and gotten a lot better as he’s progressed in his career.”
What happened last time: The Falcons rallied from a 10-point deficit with 7:18 left in the fourth quarter to force overtime. On Atlanta's second possession of overtime, coach Mike Smith made a decision to go for it on fourth-and-inches from on the Falcons' 29 with 10:52 left. They were stuffed and four plays later, John Kasay kicked a 26-yard field goal for a 26-23 Saints victory. Ryan passed for a season-high 351 yards, while completing 29 of 52 attempts.
Advantage: Falcons
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