In a game that featured a matchup of the two best quarterbacks in the NFC South, it was a backup running back who took over the game to win the game for the New Orleans Saints. Second-year pro Pierre Thomas, usually overshadowed by starter Reggie Bush, keyed the Saints’ efforts with several huge plays down the stretch to lead the home team to a 29-25 win.
Matt Ryan appeared to be the man of the hour when he brought his team back to take a 25-22 lead in the fourth quarter. But Thomas wasn’t having any of it. He ran the kickoff back 88 yards to the Atlanta 16. Then the Saints dodged a bullet when an interception slipped through the hands of Michael Boley. Thomas scored on a sweep from 5 yards out two plays later for the final score of the game.
The game was a matchup of two great quarterbacks before Thomas iced it. Falcons QB Matt Ryan finished 24-of-33 for 315 yards, and his 12-yard touchdown run on third-and-4 gave Atlanta a 25-22 lead with 8:29 left in the game.
Drew Brees was also dominant, hitting on 18-of-32 passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns. But it was the Saints run game, which had been non-existent for most of the year, that won the game. Thomas rushed for 102 yards on 16 carries, while Bush stepped up with 80 yards on the ground, including a 43-yard scamper to set up the first score of the game.
The first half was also a back-and-forth affair. Despite falling behind 10-0 over the first 20 minutes of the game, Atlanta responded to take a 14-13 lead late in the half, and trailed 16-14 heading into the break.
Perhaps no one responded to adversity better than Matt Ryan. After getting off to a terrible start and throwing an interception on his first drive, Ryan finished the half by hitting 9-of-10 passes and hitting Brian Finneran for a 2-yard score with just over two minutes left in the half. That touchdown gave Atlanta its first lead of the game at 14-13.
Garrett Hartley hit the final of three first-half field goals, a 25-yard field goal as time expired in the half to give the Saints the lead back.
Atlanta had perhaps the most impressive drive in the game between the third and fourth quarters. Ryan led his team by throwing for three conversions on third downs. But the final of those third downs, a third-and-goal from the 5-yard line, skimmed off the hands of Harry Douglas in the back of the end zone. Jason Elam connected on a 23-yard field goal to give the Falcons the 17-16 lead with 3:09 remaining in the third quarter.
But Thomas responded again. First Brees led the Saints on a 10-play, 87-yard drive, then he hit Thomas on a 7-yard screen pass for the touchdown.
But Ryan used both his arm and his legs to bring Atlanta back. He keyed the ensuing drive to give Atlanta the lead. On third-and-4 from the Saints’ 12, Ryan scrambled to his right and cruised into the end zone untouched for the go-ahead score with 13:03 left.
But Ryan matched the New Orleans quarterback. He hooked up with four different receivers on a thorough and meticulous drive that ate up five minutes of clock. He finished it off with a 12-yard run on third-and-4, the first scoring run of his young career. Then he found Michael Jenkins on the two-point conversion to give the Falcons a 25-22 lead. And it appeared the Falcons were headed to their third consecutive victory before Thomas’s heroics.
Despite the loss, Roddy White’s stellar season continued. He caught 10 passes for 164 yards. Michael Turner scored his 13th touchdown of the season on a 5-yard run in the second quarter. Jason Elam also checked in with two field goals.
The Saints scored the first touchdown on New Orleans’ first offensive drive. Bush scored on a 5-yard run to give the home team a 7-0 lead.
The loss drops Atlanta to 8-5 on the season. It also guarantees a two-game deficit in the division, with the winner of the Carolina-Tampa Bay game tomorrow taking that lead. The Falcons host Tampa next week.
The Saints kept their playoff hopes alive, moving to 7-6 for the season. They travel to Chicago for a Thursday night game this week.
Bagriansky can be reached at jbagriansky@scoreatl.com.
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