Like most of the battles with the Saints in the recent history of the rivalry, the Falcons gave them a fight, but came up short.
The Falcons’ potential game-winning drive stalled when the pass protection broke down, and the Saints hung on to prevail 17-13 before 70,422 fans Thursday night in a spirited battle at the Georgia Dome.
The Saints improved to 9-2, while the Falcons, who lost their fifth consecutive game, slipped to 2-9. The Falcons officially were eliminated from contention to repeat as NFC South champs.
Saints quarterback Drew Brees completed 23 of 33 passes for 278 yards and two touchdowns. Tight end Jimmy Graham caught five passes for 100 yards and had a 44-yard touchdown.
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan completed 30 of 39 passes, including one with five seconds left that led to an unsuccessful scramble play.
The Falcons will lament a blown coverage by safety William Moore that resulted in a touchdown, a third-quarter fumble by wide receiver Darius Johnson in the red zone and a missed 52-yard field-goal attempt by Matt Bryant.
Behind two touchdown passes from Brees, the Saints held a 14-13 halftime lead.
The Falcons came out strong to start the game.
Defensive tackle Corey Peters got things started with a tackle of Saints running back Mark Ingram for no gain. Linebacker Paul Worrilow dropped running back Pierre Thomas for a 3-yard loss on second down.
On third-and-13, the Falcons went with one of defensive coordinator Mike Nolan’s dime alignments, as six defensive backs and two linebackers dropped back to protect the 30-yard line.
The Falcons rushed only three.
Brees had time to pass, but didn’t want to force the ball down the field and settled for a check-down rout. Rookie cornerback Desmond Trufant, who later left with a thigh injury and return, tackled tight end Jimmy Graham for 6-yard gain.
The Falcons defense made a statement with a three-and-out. After hemorrhaging 900 yards over the past two games, they were ready for the Saints.
The offense scored a touchdown on their opening drive for just the third time this season.
The key play of the 10-play, 76-yard touchdown was a 22-yard pass to running back Jacquizz Rodgers, who picked up a nice block from Johnson, on third-and-3 from New Orleans’ 31.
After a 3-yard run by Rodgers, Ryan hit Johnson on an inside cut route and he appeared to score. After a review, Johnson’s left knee was deemed down at the 1. Steven Jackson scored with a leap over the top of the pile. Bryant’s extra point made the score 7-0.
The Saints answered with a powerful 15-play, 78-yard touchdown drive.
The defense did a good job of pushing the Saints to third downs, but the Saints converted five times, including a touchdown pass from Brees to Benjamin Watson on third-and-1. The extra point made the score 7-7.
The Falcons’ next drive, which was added by pass-interference call on Saints cornerback Corey White, stalled at New Orleans’ 21. Bryant added a 39-yard field to make the score 10-7. During the drive, Saints defensive end Akiem Hicks hit Ryan in the helmet on a sack, but he was not called for a penalty.
On the Saints’ next possession, a major breakdown, which has happened often this season, led to a touchdown. Moore appeared to break down on a route, and Graham kept running and was open deep for a 44-yard touchdown.
The Falcons continued to operate out of their no-huddle offense, effectively mixing the run and pass. Johnson was the star of the drive, with catches for gains of 15, 12 and 16 yards. The Falcons overcame an unnecessary-roughness penalty on right tackle Jeremy Trueblood, who was battling with Hicks.
On a third-and-goal from New Orleans’ 10, Ryan felt some pressure and took off. He slid at the 6-yard line. There was a smattering of boos from fans, who wanted him to attempt to score.
Bryant was summoned and made a 24-yard field goal for the halftime margin.
The defenses took control in the third quarter.
The Saints mustered a big-play when Brees found Graham open in the middle of the field on third-and-5 from their 38. He rumbled through the defense, and it took several defenders to force him out of bounds at the Falcons’ 27. The drive stalled, and Garrett Hartley added a 41-yard field goal to make the score 17-13.
The Falcons had a promising drive, but Johnson fumbled at the Saints’ 13-yard line. White recovered with 13:05 to play.
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