The Saints 26-23 overtime victory over the Falcons was as crucial as it was dramatic, as it gives the Saints a solid position atop the NFC South leader board. Despite a few lapses, the Saints put together a strong game against the Falcons. Here’s our positional breakdown
Passing Offense: A-
Drew Brees was his usual self, completing 30 of 43 passes for 322 yards and two touchdowns. Marques Colston had a stellar game, catching eight passes for 113 yards and Jimmy Graham was once again in prime form, snagging seven passes for 83 yards and a touchdown. The one negative was third-down conversions, as the Saints converted only four of 13 chances.
Running Offense: C
After recording their biggest rushing game of the year against the Buccaneers, the Saints struggled on the ground, gaining only 41 yards on 16 carries. Pierre Thomas led the way with 28 yards on 6 carries. Mark Ingram, in his return from a heel injury, struggled with only 11 yards on eight carries. Darren Sproles also had his least productive game of the year, picking up only one yard on the ground.
Passing Defense B-
The saints allowed Matt Ryan to throw for 351 yards and 2 touchdowns. Though they looked good through most of the game, the passing defense wilted toward the end, allowing the Falcons to drive up and down the field for two late scores that resulted in overtime. The Saints were able to slow down outside threats Roddy White and Julio Jones, but were burned on long runs after the catch by wide receiver Harry Douglass.
On the positive side, Scott Shanle did pick off Ryan, and Roman Harper had 13 tackles along with a sack.
Saints Rushing Defense: B
The Saints held Falcon’s feature back Michael Turner to 96 yards on 22 carries, and, most important, kept him out of the end zone. They only allowed one run of over 20 yards (21) and came up with a massive 4th and 1 stop in overtime.
Special Teams: A
Though Darren Sproles was kept quiet outside of one 39-yard kick-off return, the Saints kicking squad was one fire on Sunday. John Kasay drilled four out of five field goals, including the game winner, and Thomas Moorestead dropped three punts inside the twenty and had a number of touchbacks on kickoffs.
The Saints also covered well, holding return man Eric Weems to only 41 total yards.
Coaching: B
Though the Saints offense had problems in the red zone, they did move the ball efficiently against the Falcons. On the defensive side, Greg William’s squad went into the much-feared prevent mode, allowing Atlanta to mount a comeback. However, Williams kept Atlanta’s biggest playmakers out of the end zone and his defense effectively sealed the game with their overtime fourth-down stop.
