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September 10, 2013
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September 10, 2013
Welcome back, Sean Payton.
The New Orleans Saints looked a little like some of the Payton teams of old in Sunday’s 23-17 victory over arch-rival Atlanta in the Mercedes Benz Superdome.
Quarterback Drew Brees threw for 357 yards and two touchdowns on 26-of-35 passing as the Saints garnered 419 total yards.
It was mostly another solid day for an offense that’s used to putting up big yardage, and more importantly, another victory over a division rival that the Saints have made a habit of beating a lot recently.
But it was the team’s defense that was getting much of the attention afterward, particularly following some crucial stops – namely on the game’s final drive.
New Orleans preserved its victory with a goal-line stand after a 4th-and-goal from the 2-yard line when Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan was intercepted in the end-zone by Roman Harper off a tipped pass from Kenny Vaccaro with 49 seconds remaining.
“Kenny made a play on the ball and I dove for the interception,” Harper said. “Next thing I know, Malcolm (Jenkins) is on top of me beating on my chest. We were excited. The next thing you know, the offense was taking a knee. It was a great win.”
The ending may have been different, but the final result was a familiar one, with the Saints getting their 12th victory in 15 games against the Falcons.
“These games with Atlanta always seem to finish this way,” Harper said. “It’s exciting and a dogfight. It’s going to end up like this sometimes when you have two great teams.”
Harper’s play was one of a handful of noteworthy stops by the Saints’ defense, and the second big play by Harper, who recovered a Julio Jones fumble in the second quarter following a 22-yard play that would have otherwise given Atlanta a first down.
Instead, Harper’s recovery set the Saints up with a short field, and three plays later Brees found Marques Colston for a 25-yard touchdown pass that tied the game at 10-all.
Earlier, with Atlanta already leading 7-0 in the first quarter, the Falcons drove 40 yards with a short field to the New Orleans 5-yard line but came away with only a field goal when the Saints defense sniffed out a Jacquizz Rodgers run on 2nd down and then forced an incompletion on 3rd-and-goal.
The Falcons took a 10-0 lead on a Matt Bryant field goal, but the defensive stop kept the Saints from falling into a deep hole early.
“We gave up some plays and some yardage (early), and I thought after that first quarter we settled in and mixed things up,” Payton said afterward.
Among the big plays was Harry Douglas hauling in a short pass that ended up being a 50-yard gain in the first quarter, and a Stephen Jackson rush for 50 yards in the third quarter. Both led to Atlanta touchdowns.
But the Saints managed to win the battle on 3rd down, holding the Falcons to just 3-of-11 throughout the day. Payton said that played a large part in Sunday’s victory.
“Statistically, there were a lot of things we did well,” Payton said. “I thought our 3rd-down defense was good. We were 6-of-13 (offensively on 3rd down), so those are big numbers when you look at drives that were continued or ended up resulting in a punt.”
The defense also kept putting pressure on Ryan throughout the day, recording three sacks and forcing several hurries.
Saints linebacker Curtis Lofton, a former Falcon who recorded three solo tackles and assisted in two more Sunday, said the defense as a whole was impressive.
“It makes it difficult for them when you can rush and get into the passing lanes,” Lofton said. “The guys up front did a great job (Sunday). We got pressure on the quarterback, but it goes hand in hand. The secondary and linebackers had great coverage, which leads to sacks. That’s how we play as a defense.”
All in all, Payton said he recognized that the Saints’ defense was far from perfect. They allowed 379 total yards and 18 first downs.
But the performance was something the team can build on as it moves forward, he said.
“It was a hard-fought win,” Payton said. “Certainly there are a lot of things we will have to clean up, but I thought they played hard. That’s a good football team that we played. They were the best last year in the NFC (in the regular season) so it was a really good win for us and it will be a good tape for us to coach off of.”
With the win, the black and gold will stay in the division this coming Sunday in a road tilt with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Saints are currently the only team in the NFC South Division to endure Week 1 with a win.
Tampa Bay seemingly had a victory in its grasp in the opening game against the New York Jets.
But a costly late hit against Jets quarterback Geno Smith cost the Bucs 15 yards, which allowed the Jets to nail a game-winning field goal.
Two New Orleans Saints defenders wrap their arms around Atlanta Falcons’ quarterback Matt Ryan during the first half of Sunday’s game. The Saints’ defense was tough in the win, keeping the Falcons from getting an offensive rhythm. The big play of the game was a red zone stand that allowed New Orleans to secure the victory.
