Can the Falcons retake control of the NFC South? A Falcons victory will leave them and the Saints tied for first place at 6-9. The Falcons would have the advantage because of the head-to-head tiebreaker, with two victories over the Saints. All the Falcons would need to do is beat Carolina in the regular-season finale at the Georgia Dome to clinch the NFC South title and the playoff berth. A loss and they are eliminated from the playoffs, and the housecleaning could start. New Orleans can clinch the division title with a win and a Carolina loss to the Cleveland Browns. "We are really focusing on playing our best football this weekend," Saints coach Sean Payton said. "Obviously, it's an important game for both teams."
What's behind the Falcons 1-5 record at the Superdome under coach Mike Smith? The Falcons have not won in New Orleans since the 2010 season, when they relied on a heavy dose of running backs Michael Turner and Jason Snelling to power them to victory. The Falcons have tried to run more often, but have fallen behind in recent games and had to abandon the run. In order to beat the Saints, the Falcons must run the ball to keep their 32nd-ranked defense off the field as much as possible.
Will the secondary holdup against Drew Brees? The Saints quarterback has won seven of eight starts against the Falcons at home, with a 103.8 passer rating. He has passed for 4,358 yards, his NFL-record ninth consecutive 4,000-yard season. Since joining the Saints, he leads the NFL with 43,091 yards passing and 314 touchdowns. The Falcons give up 292.5 yards passing per game, which ranks last in the league.
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