On the heels of a crucial 27-16 victory over Tampa Bay that installed them atop the NFC South standings, the Saints will be playing once again for the division lead this Sunday when they face-off with the 5-3 Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome.
Drew Brees and his arsenal of offensive weapons will do battle with a stout Atlanta defense that held the Detroit Lions and Indianapolis Colts to a total of 23 points over the last two weeks.
Here’s what to look for when the Saints offense matches up against the Falcons Defense.
Saints Passing Offense
Though the Saints dialed up the running game last week, rushing for a season-high of 195 yards, don’t expect to see a run-heavy attack this week. Atlanta ranks 7th in the NFL against the rush, but only 19th against the pass, and their safeties have shown considerable weakness on deep passing routes this year.
Cornerback Dunta Robinson has been exploited regularly and Brees will likely throw his way often. Don’t be surprised if Brees airs it out to Devery Henderson or Robert Meachem early in an attempt to establish the vertical passing game.
The Falcons will do their best to pressure Brees and keep him off rhythm. Defensive End John Abraham and Defensive Tackle Corey Peters lead the Falcons with three sacks and will try to penetrate a New Orleans offensive line that gave up zero sacks last week.
Saints Running Offense
With Saints rookie running back Mark Ingram reportedly recuperated from a heel injury, the Saints are blessed with one of the most fortunate quagmires an NFL team can have: How to rotate four good running backs?
In Ingram’s absence, second-year running back Chris Ivory picked up the slack and look for him to continue to be the power back in a time share with Darren Sproles and Pierre Thomas, while Ingram takes a back seat until he’s 100% again.
The Falcons are a tough team to run on, as they have a youthful linebacker corps led by Sean Weatherspoon and Curtis Lofton. This tandem, along with safety Thomas Decoud, have been especially tough as of late, allowing opponents to convert on under 20% of third-down attempts over the last two games.
The Saints, who have had problems this year running in short-yardage situations, will need to be able to muster a yard or two when necessary if they hope to keep the chains moving against Atlanta.
Match up to Watch:
Drew Brees v. Thomas Decoud
The Falcons free safety will have his hands full on Sunday, as he’ll need to cover a lot of ground to help out a pair of corners who have had problems defending the deep ball this year. Decoud will be particularly vulnerable in play-action, which could lead to big plays for Brees and the Saints.
