Willie W. Bonvillain
November 20, 2013
Patterson still alive after hard-fought victory
November 27, 2013
The latest chapter in the Saints vs. Falcons rivalry followed a familiar script.
Two bitter rivals and divisional foes squared off in a close game that came down to the wire, with only a handful of plays being the difference in the outcome.
And when it was over, the NFC South’s oldest rivalry ended the same way it has most every time since the 2006 season – with New Orleans on top.
Drew Brees threw two first-half touchdown passes to get the Saints out of an early hole, and New Orleans’ defense shut out Atlanta in the second half in a hard-fought 17-13 victory at the Georgia Dome last Thursday.
It was the Saints’ 13th win in their last 16 tries against Atlanta dating back to 2006 and moved New Orleans to 9-2 on the season. Atlanta fell to 2-9.
Now it’s onto one of the most anticipated match-ups of the season – a Monday night showdown with the Seattle Seahawks that could be a prelude to the NFC Championship Game.
First, the Saints had to take care of some business in their own division.
It didn’t come easy.
New Orleans fell behind, 7-0, in the first quarter after the offense opened the game with a three-and-out and Atlanta drove for an early score on its first possession.
After that, the Falcons wouldn’t find the end-zone again. They were held to two Matt Bryant field goals in the first half and ultimately missed out on two big scoring opportunities in the fourth quarter.
On the first, the Saints forced a key turnover early in the quarter when defensive back Corey White recovered a fumble inside the New Orleans 20-yard line following a Matt Ryan completion to rookie receiver Darius Johnson. Later, the Saints caught the benefit of a Bryant miss with 2:19 to play that helped preserve the victory.
Earlier, Brees had thrown touchdown passes to his tight ends, Benjamin Watson and Jimmy Graham, to get the Saints on the scoreboard. The first of those two throws, a 1-yard pass to Watson, tied the game at 7-7 late in the first quarter.
Then Brees put the Saints ahead for good with a 44-yard strike to Graham early in the second quarter, giving the Saints a 14-10 lead they would not relinquish.
While the season has gone in opposite directions for the two franchises, the Saints insisted they didn’t take Thursday’s game against Atlanta lightly.
“We felt going into this game that we knew it was going to be a challenge,” Saints coach Sean Payton said. “When you really look at the two teams, the history, regardless of the records, it has always been a close game and (Thursday) was no exception.”
Having a short week after playing the previous Sunday meant the team had to prepare differently. Fortunately for the Saints, the Falcons presented some familiarity.
White, who started in place of injured cornerback Jabari Greer, said that while playing a familiar foe helped, the team still had to go out and execute.
“We know Atlanta, but you still have to come out and play every week,” White said. “It doesn’t matter if they’re 2-8 or 8-2, you have to play. (Payton) did a great job of getting us ready.”
“It’s a divisional game, so obviously these are important,” added Brees, who finished 23-of-33 with 278 yards and two touchdowns. “They’re extremely important and on the road, even more so. There’s a competitive vibe to this game. Over the last five years, these programs have won a lot of games. The expectations are always very high and we always know that we have to go through one another to get where we want to go.”
Where the Saints ultimately want to go is Super Bowl XLVIII.
Standing in their way figures to be the Seahawks, who currently hold the NFC’s best record at 10-1, have won six straight contests, and lead the NFC West by several games over San Francisco and Arizona.
Seattle boasts one of the NFL’s best defenses, while on offense they present one of the best rushing threats with tailback Marshawn Lynch and dual-threat quarterback Russell Wilson.
The inside track to home field advantage in the NFC will be on the line when they host the Saints on Dec. 2 at CenturyLink Field, one of the NFL’s loudest and most raucous venues.
Playing on the road at Seattle will be a daunting task, Payton admitted.
“There are probably four or five venues that separate themselves,” Payton said. “Clearly (Seattle) is one of those venues, the way the stadium is constructed. Their fans are passionate. They love their team. They’re smart and they know how to get loud. It presents challenges and it’s something we’re going to have to be good at and be able to handle. It’s one of the challenges of playing on the road. When you add that it’s a Monday night game on top of it, I’m sure it will be a real loud environment there.”
Still, for now the Saints say they’re happy just to have an extended week of preparation for what will be their biggest game of the season.
Payton said the team was scheduled to have the weekend off before returning to practice Tuesday.
“The challenge of playing on Thursday is the tight turnaround,” said Payton. “But once you play the game, you gain some additional time, so we’ll try to use it as wisely as we can. We know we’re playing an outstanding team that’s playing at a high level in every phase of the game.”
Monday’s game is scheduled for a 7:40 p.m. kickoff and will be televised by ESPN and locally on WDSU-TV Channel 6 in New Orleans.
The Seahawks were idle last week.
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (center) leads his team in a pregame cheer prior to last Thursday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons. The Saints overcame a sometimes-sluggish effort and stumped their struggling rivals. With the victory, the Black and Gold will now head into a road showdown with Seattle next Monday night. The winner of that game will control their own destiny in the race to be the No. 1 seed in the NFC when the playoffs begin.
