The Atlanta Falcons continued their surprising season, dismantling NFC South rivals New Orleans by a 34-20 score that was never in doubt in the second half. Believe it or not, the “rebuilding” Falcons are 6-3, a record that fullback Ovie Mughelli was loving after the game. “It feels as good as it sounds,” said Mughelli.
Atlanta appeared poised to snatch that 6-3 record immediately. The defense opened up the game with a bang when Erik Coleman interecepted Drew Brees on the first play from scrimmage and returned it 32 yards to the Saints’ 33-yard line. Although Atlanta couldn’t capitalize on the turnover, the tone for the game had been set.
On the next Atlanta drive, the Saints came out playing man-to-man in the secondary, daring quarterback Matt Ryan to beat them. The rookie went to work, connecting on seven of his first eight passes, and finding Roddy White in the end zone on a slant for a 16-yard strike to open up the scoring.
The Saints made it 14-3 after a 24-yard field goal from Garrett Hartley. On the ensuing drive, Ryan didn’t miss a pass, and he made the Saints pay for pressing the Falcons wideouts at the line of scrimmage when he connected with Michael Jenkins on a 32-yard pass to the Saints’ 2. Michael Turner scored his seventh touchdown of the season on the next play.
The teams exchanged field goals and the half ended at 17-6. Head coach Mike Smith was very pleased with the performance.
“For our guys to go out and hold them to no touchdowns was very big,” said Smith. “Our players executed the game plan on both sides of the ball.”
Jerious Norwood showed off his big-play ability early in the fourth, catching a short pass from Matt Ryan and getting a huge block from wideout Laurent Robinson as he sped down the sideline for a 67-yard score.
“Jerious likes to run,” Smith said. “He caught the ball in the seam and we had two nice blocks.”
The Saints didn’t quit. Brees hit Deuce McCallister for a 15-yard score on a screen pass. After the Saints defense forced a three-and-out, the New Orleans offense stormed down the field and had a first-and-10 from the Atlanta 11-yard line with five minutes to go. But a 15-yard penalty forced them into second-and-21, and Brees was intercepted in the end zone by Chris Houston on the next play.
The fans who remained in The Dome got to see two more scores late in the game. Chevis Jackson returned an interception 95 yards for a score. The pick was the second-longest in franchise history.
“I just didn’t want to get caught,” said the rookie from LSU. “I was kind of dazed at first, like I couldn’t believe it just happened.”
The Saints scored a late touchdown of their own. Brees hit Lance Moore on a Hail Mary pass from 32 yards out on the final play of the game.
Ryan finished the game with 248 yards and two touchdowns, throwing for 145 yards in the first two quarters. Michael Jenkins also enjoyed his second productive week in a row, catching six balls for 72 yards. White scored his sixth touchdown of the year, and caught five passes for 68 yards. After Ryan dominated early, Turner was the primary plan of attack in the second half, running for 96 yards on 27 carries.
John Abraham raised his sack total to 11 and hurried Brees countless times. It was also his presence in the backfield that forced New Orleans into its first two field goals, as he sacked Brees once and hurried him another time on two third downs deep in Atlanta territory.
Brees threw for 422 yards, the second time he has done so this season. But Atlanta intercepted him three times and he had to deal with the constant presence of Abraham in the backfield.
“It started Wednesday; coach stressed getting pressure on the quarterback and creating turnovers,” said Jackson.
Atlanta did just that, and now the team is right in the middle of the playoff picture with seven games to play.
Marques Colston led the way for the receiving corps, snagging seven passes for 140 yards. Linebacker Scott Fujita spurred on the defense with 11 tackles.
The Falcons move to 6-3 on the year, keeping their undefeated home record intact. They return to action next week, hosting the Denver Broncos on Sunday as they hope to continue their postseason push. As for the Saints, the postseason seems to be miles away. Their record dropped to 4-5 with the loss.
Bagriansky can be reached at jbagriansky@scoreatl.com.
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