FLOWERY BRANCH — The playoff luster is off the Falcons rivalry with the New Orleans Saints.
Both teams will play for pride when the Falcons (8-7) face the Saints (6-9) at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Georgia Dome.
But since the Saints defeated the Falcons 31-21 on Oct. 15 to stop their 5-0 start to the season, the battle will remain heated.
“It just a great rivalry,” Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan said. “For us, it’s always an important game. The cities always get fired up, both cities, New Orleans and Atlanta, when this game pops up. We feel that as players. We know that and we’d love to finish the season with a win against a big rival for us.”
The Falcons want to finish with a winning record in coach Dan Quinn’s first season.
The Saints are at a crossroads for the first time during Sean Payton’s tenure as the head coach. There’s speculation that Payton, who’s been with the Saints since 2006, is ready to move and that quarterback Drew Brees could be near the end of his career.
Payton, who guided the Saints to a Super Bowl title, has been linked to Indianapolis, Miami and San Diego at various times throughout this season.
Brees’ whopping $30 million salary cap number for next season also effects the team’s long-term outlook. He’s also set to turn 37 on Jan. 15.
“Bottom line, I don’t see myself in any other helmet than a Saints helmet and I don’t see myself playing for any coach other than Sean Payton,” Brees said during an interview with Pro Football Talk. “I know there’s all kind of speculation, especially when you’re not heading to the playoffs. Everybody immediately wants to jump to what are they going to do this offseason and how’s it going to look for next season. I’m confident that a plan was laid out last offseason for how we’re going to build this thing back to where we can make a run.”
But all of the pending turmoil can wait until after the regular-season finale. Both teams will carry some momentum into the game. The Saints are coming off a 38-27 win over the Jaguars and the Falcons spoiled Carolina’s undefeated season with a 20-13 win.
Running back Tim Hightower’s emergence after not playing since the 2011 season has been a feel-good story for the Saints. Hightower rushed 27 times for 122 yards and two touchdowns and also caught three passes for 47 yards in the win over Jacksonville.
It was his best game since 2010, when he was a promising prospect with the Arizona Cardinals.
After suffering a knee injury on Oct. 23, 2011, Hightower was out of football. He was signed by the Saints to a reserve/futures contract in February. He took over recently for the injured Mark Ingram.
But it’s Brees who still commands the Falcons’ attention.
He completed 30 of 39 passes for 312 yards and one touchdown in the previous meeting. Tight end Ben Watson caught 10 passes for a then career-high 127 yards and a touchdown. Watson, the former Georgia standout, had 147 yards receiving two weeks later against the Giants.
“We know this pass attack is legit,” Falcons coach Dan Quinn said. “You can see that, no big story line, but the effectiveness between Watson, between the outside game and how they feature their runners (is good). Their offense presents real challenges.”
The Falcons held Carolina tight end Greg Olsen, a Pro Bowler, to four catches and 40 yards on Sunday. Quinn noted that are several ways to keep the tight end under control.
“It’s not just a man-to-man or zone, but it’s having our shots on them, to get the contact,” Quinn said. “We have a lot of respect for them and the scheme they played against us for the first time. We are anxious to get back and play again.”
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