On Sunday, November 13th, it’s a battle of epic proportions as the New Orleans Saints come to the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, to face the Falcons in a game that will be for first place in the NFC South.
Since I’m from Atlanta, it’s normal to have a major disdain for the Saints, especially since they won a Super Bowl Title two years ago. But that was then, this is now. Both teams are coming off wins, the Saints against Tampa Bay and the Falcons against the Colts.
The Falcons come into the game on a three game winning streak. Their defense has stepped up tremendously and it may come down to getting pressure on Saints quarterback Drew Brees. Falcons head coach Mike Smith spoke on Monday about the Saints offensive line, calling them one of the better lines in the league. Brees has been sacked 19 times already this season and 8 times in the last 4 games, and Falcons defensive ends John Abraham and Ray Edwards should be able to exploit the Saints offensive line to pressure on Brees to force some mistakes.
The Saints certainly won’t be one dimensional, because just like the Falcons, they can run the football but with more quickness and elusiveness with running backs Mark Ingram and Darren Sproles. The Saints are 9th in the league in rushing, averaging 126 yards per game.
Smith summarized the Falcons game plan:
“Their line is, I think, one of the better lines. They’ve got the quarterback that can get the ball out of his hands. He knows where to go with it. He’s not going to be surprised by what you present him, in terms of what type of zone coverages, what type of man coverages or bracket coverages, whatever you’re trying to do. I think it’s going to be imperative for us that we stop their run and, at the core each and every week, that’s one of our ‘musts’ is to stop the run. I think they’ve got a group of running backs that they can throw at you that have different skill sets and I think the guy that’s making a big difference for them is Darren Sproles. When they put Darren in the ballgame, he can run between the tackles. They can split him out and get into a no-back set and he’s like a wide receiver. It creates mismatches. The rookie, Mark Ingram, I know he’s banged up but he’s been having a very good year and they’ve got a tight end that I think is having an All-Pro year, just like our tight end. He creates mismatches. He’s a former basketball player. He can catch the ball, he can jump. Then we haven’t even started to talk about what they feel is the strength of their offense, their wide receivers. They can put four wide receivers out there if they want to and really create some mismatches. That’s why they’re number one in the League in scoring. They’re averaging over 31 points per game, so it’s going to be some sleepless nights for Coach VanGorder and his staff this week, in terms of putting together a game plan.”
The Falcons and Saints are mirror images of each other. Falcons tight end Reggie Kelly agrees, saying “You’d think both teams are one. Defensively they are very physical. They’ve really impressed me. It’s a defense that has feasted on opportunities.”
The Saints come into the game 14th in passing defense averaging 228 yards per game and 16th in rushing defense averaging 120 yards. Kelly also commented on the Falcons defense, saying, “We have young energetic linebackers, led by Curtis Lofton and Sean Weatherspoon. They want to keep teams from scoring and the sky is the limit.”
Defensively, the Falcons are 19th in pass defense averaging 245 yards per game and 7th in rushing defense allowing 97 per game. That’s keeping in mind the Falcons have played teams that have good offenses like Chicago, Philadelphia, and Green Bay.
Speaking about the Saints offense, Kelly said, “The Saints have a great quarterback.” The Saints are second in the league in passing offense averaging 319 yards per game.
One reason the Falcons offense has been productive is because of the improved play of the offensive line and the consistent play of All-Pro tight end Tony Gonzalez. Gonzalez so far this season has 39 receptions for 416 yards, averaging 10.7 yards per catch, and leads the team with 5 TDs. In addition to his receiving ability, Kelly said about his fellow tight ends, “He [Gonzalez] can block quite well. Michael Palmer can block quite well. I do whatever they ask me to do. We have the right offensive line and tight ends helping in the passing and running game.”
The Falcons are 17th with an average of 228 yards per game and 13th in the running game averaging 119 yards. The offensive line and tight ends are going to have to step up in a big way this week to protect quarterback Matt Ryan and open the running lanes for Michael Turner.
Even though this game is very important for playoff implications, the main intangibles for a Falcons win will be the fans and coaching. Saints head coach Sean Payton is a master play-caller just as Falcons coach Mike Smith is a great defensive-minded coach.
Kelly said, “Coach Smith is down to earth and handles pressure well. He gives us points for each game which are to be physical and dominate. We have to dominate. When you’re physical and dominate you have a good chance to win in the NFL. There’s no pressure on us, we’re just going to be physical and dominate the best we can.” This will certainly be the case for the Falcons defense if they plan to keep the high powered Saints offense off the field.
The Georgia Dome holds over 72,000 fans and some attending will be Saints fans, but Falcons fans are going to be loud and ready to disrupt the Saints offense. Reggie Kelly summed it up this way, “it’s important for the fans to come out so they [Saints] can’t have clear communication.” It’ll be needed especially if the Saints are deep in their own end of the field. This game will be one that will be entertaining, full of surprises, and just like the most recent games between these two teams, one that will go down to the wire.
