Atlanta Falcons @ New Orleans Saints: Game Preview

by Dave Cariello on Oct 28, 2009 12:15 PM CDT

MONDAY NIGHT, NOVEMBER 2

ATLANTA FALCONS (4-2) AT NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (6-0)

SERIES

	FALCONS	SAINTS
SERIES LEADER	44-35
STREAKS		5 of past 6
COACHES VS. OPP.	Smith: 1-1	Payton: 5-1
LAST WEEK	L 37-21 at Cowboys	W 46-34 at Dolphins
LAST GAME	12/7/08: Falcons 25 at Saints 29. New Orleans RBs Pierre Thomas (102 yards & 1 TD) & Reggie Bush (10 carries, 80 yards) help the Saints keep pace in crowded NFC South race.
LAST GAME AT SITE	12/7/08
BROADCAST	ESPN (7:30 PM CT): Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, Jon Gruden. Westwood One Radio: Kevin Harlan, Boomer Esiason, Mark Malone (Field reporter). SIRIUS: 124 (WW1), 126 (Atl.), 125 (NO). XM: 124 (WW1), 103 (Atl.), 102 (NO).

STATS

PASSING	Ryan: 120-191-1,360-11-6-90.2	Brees: 132-197-1,698 (2C)-14 (1C)-5-106.9 (2C)
RUSHING	Turner: 118-403-3.4-7 (T3L)	Bell: 72-343-4.8-2
RECEIVING	White: 33 (T3C)-435-13.2-5 (T2L)	Colston: 30-466-15.5-5 (T2L)
OFFENSE	322.8	427.3 (1L)
TAKE/GIVE	+3	+8 (3C)
DEFENSE	368.3	306.7
SACKS	Abraham, Biermann: 3	Grant: 4
INTs	DeCoud: 2	Sharper: 6 (1L)
PUNTING	Koenen: 43.1	Morstead (R): 44.2
KICKING	Elam: 30 (18/19 PAT; 4/6 FG)	Carney: 52 (3C) (28/30 PAT; 8/10 FG)

NOTES

FALCONS: QB MATT RYAN is 4-1 in Nov. with 6 TDs vs. 1 INT & 109.6 rating. Is 11-3 (.786) in games played indoors. Has 113.9 rating in 2 starts vs. NO. Falcons are 8-0 when Ryan has 100+ rating...RB MICHAEL TURNER aims for 6th division game in row with rush TD. Has 8 rush TDs in past 5 vs. division. Has 531 rush yards (106.2 per game) in past 5 vs. NFC South. When Turner has 19+ carries, his teams are 14-1 (.933). RB JERIOUS NORWOOD had career-long 67-yard TD catch vs. NO (11/9/08)...WR RODDY WHITE has 15 catches for 284 yards (94.7 per game) in past 3 in Nov. Has 4 TDs in past 3. Had 10 catches for 164 yards in last meeting. TE TONY GONZALEZ has 100+ yards in 3 of past 4 Nov. games. Has catch in 137 consecutive games...DE JOHN ABRAHAM has 6.5 sacks in 8 MNF games. Had career-high 4 sacks vs. NO (11/04/01 with NYJ). Has 87 sacks since 2000, 2nd most among active players. S THOMAS DE COUD has 2 INTs & sack in past 2...

SAINTS: Average 39.7 points per game, most in NFL. 1st team in NFL history to score 45+ points in 4 of 1st 6 games...QB DREW BREES has won 5 of 6 starts vs. Atl. with NO. Aims for 6th meeting in row with 2+ TDs. Since joining NO in 2006, leads NFL with 15,608 pass yards. Has 1,775 yards (355 per game), 19 TDs, 3 INTs & 128.5 rating in past 5 vs. NFC. Aims for 4th in row on MNF with 300+ yards...RB-PR REGGIE BUSH has 27 career TDs (15 rush, 8 rec, 4 PR) & is only Saint to score via rush, rec. & PR. Aims for 3rd in row vs. Atl. with TD. RB PIERRE THOMAS had 102 rush yards & 2 TDs (1 rush, 1 rec.) in last meeting...WR MARQUES COLSTON has 100+ yards in 3 of past 4 vs. division. Has 9 TDs in past 9. TE JEREMY SHOCKEY has 447 receptions since 2002, 3rd most in NFL among TEs...S DARREN SHARPER had 42-yard INT-TD last week. Has 11 INT-TDs & 1,353 INT yards, both 2nd in NFL history. DE WILL SMITH has 6 sacks in 10 meetings. CB TRACY PORTER had 54-yard INT-TD last week.

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Comments

i'm so glad this is on MNF

i rarely get to see the saints on tv and this will be a treat!

by nanvinnie on Oct 28, 2009 12:55 PM CDT reply actions

Primetime baby !!

Am I the only one with a twinge of deja vu? It’s reminding me of the energy I felt before the reopening of the dome after Katrina. Bring the noise. Bring the funk. And bring the pain!

by WhoDat_OH on Oct 28, 2009 5:09 PM CDT via mobile reply actions

SAINTS FOOTBALL

We need to put up quick pts. and make them play (our) game.They do not want to get
into a score fest with Brees !! You look at their secondary and you can say yum yum.
But lets remember too….this is a team that went to Frisco and destroyed them ??
GO SAINTS GO

by sainthog on Oct 29, 2009 6:31 AM CDT reply actions

Hey folks...

Just wanted to say good luck to you guys against my Falcons in primetime on Monday Night Football!!!!
I would like to see a repeat of our trip to SF, not our trip to Dallas!! lol
No matter who wins, I just hope our teams put on a good show for america, so both of our teams can get more MNF games next season!!
Good luck to the saints. although they probably don’t need it. lol

LETS GO FALCONS!!
L-DAWG

by ATLsince1972 on Oct 29, 2009 9:07 AM CDT reply actions