One of the biggest highlights of the day, Steve Gleason and Sean Payton lead the Who Dat chant.
Have you caught your breath yet? I know I’m just getting there. No one could have asked for a more exciting game to kick off the season. The Saints are 1-0 and after losses by the Panthers, Buccaneers, along with the Falcons, they take an early grasp on first place in the NFC South. There are still 15 games, of course, but every game matters in this division. Let’s get started on today’s fantastic game in the Superdome.
The day was started with a very emotional scene, as Sean Payton joined former Saint Steve Gleason to lead the ceremonial pre-game Who Dat chant.
It was said to be one of the loudest in history, as it should have been.
The Saints got out to a slow start in the first quarter. Atlanta opened with a three and out, but New Orleans couldn’t do anything with their first possession, punting after four plays. The Falcons quickly opened up the scoring with a three minute, 6 play drive for 82 yards and a touchdown. Matt Ryan found his favorite red-zone target, Tony Gonzales, and gave the Falcons a 7-0 lead. Sean Payton didn’t waste time making his first gutsy call, electing to go with a Mark Ingram run on 4th and 1 from their own 47 yard line. Ingram was stuffed and the Falcons capitalized on the turnover on downs with a 23 yard Matt Bryant field goal.
New Orleans finally got on the board with a 48 yard field goal to start the second quarter, then cashed in on a Julio Jones fumble on Atlanta’s first offensive play on their next drive. Malcolm Jenkins stripped Jones as he was going to the ground and Roman Harper came up with the ball and set the Saints up in great position to eventually tie the game. On a 3rd and 4, Marques Colston reeled in a great catch from Brees from 25 yards out to tie things up at 10-10. The touchdown reception for Colston was his 534th career reception, breaking Eric Martin’s franchise record in catches. On the Saints next drive, Kenny Stills got the Saints in to the red-zone with a 67 yard reception, but they would have to settle for a 31 yard field goal. At halftime, the Saints led 13-10.
After receiving the ball to start the second half, the Saints had a quick three and out that was capped by a sack of Drew Brees, forcing New Orleans to punt from their own 11. Atlanta took over with great field position and took advantage thanks to a 50 yard run from Steven Jackson that set up a short 4 yard touchdown pass from Ryan to Jones. On the subsequent drive, the Saints would retake and retain the lead for good after a 7 yard touchdown pass from Brees to Graham (Jimmy freaking Graham! He cannot be covered!). Sorry, it’s my signature line and I have to say whenever I talk about a Graham touchdown reception!
The fourth quarter consisted of mostly empty drives from both teams. New Orleans had good chances to extend their lead to two scores, but out of three drives in the final 20 minutes, they could only muster up 3 points on Garrett Hartley’s third field goal, coming from 22 yards out. Atlanta took over from their own 20, with 3:12 left in the game. As this match-up usually does, everything came down to the final drive. The hopes of the black and gold looked to be in serious jeopardy, as Atlanta easily picked up 73 yards with their first 6 plays of the drive. 3 plays and 4 yards later, it all came down to a 4th and goal from the 3 yard line. The Saints defense brought good pressure and Ryan had to throw it up to Tony Gonzales, who looked for a second to have the game winner, but rookie Kenny Vaccaro knocked the ball out of his hands and in to the waiting arms of Roman Harper. The Dome, the sidelines, every fan at home, and the heroic defense all erupted as Matt Ryan and his Falcons walked off of the field with their heads hung in defeat.
The casual NFL fan may look at everyone’s reaction and think the Saints were acting as if they just won the Superbowl, but after the tough season endured in 2012 and the return of Sean Payton, it certainly felt that way.
Stats
Drew Brees – 26-35 / 357 yards / 2 TDs / 1 INT
Pierre Thomas – 9 carries / 43 yards
Darren Sproles – 6 receptions / 88 yards
Marques Colston – 5 receptions / 68 yards / 1 TD
Jimmy Graham – 4 receptions / 45 yards / 1 TD
Kenny Stills – 2 receptions / 86 yards
Roman Harper – 1 fumble recovery / 1 INT
Malcolm Jenkins – 1 forced fumble
Junior Galette, Parys Haralson, and Akiem Hicks – 1 sack each
Week 2
The New Orleans Saints (1-0, 1-0 NFC South) travel to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-1, 0-0 NFC South). The Saints will have a chance to notch an early second division win, while Tampa returns home from a loss to the New York Jets today.
On a side note, I will be traveling to Tampa to watch the game, so I’ll be pumping out the previews as early as Wednesday, but no later than Friday this week. Once again, my twitter handle is @DCBilliotJr6 if you’d like to follow, as I’ll be sure to tweet my thoughts on the sights and scenes in Tampa Bay.
In the meantime, keep an eye out for a combined version of the usual Saints and Sinners + Grades articles, coming early this week. Thank you for being a part of Saints247.net, as we look to a fun season!
Who Dat?!
