Monday Night Lights/Atlanta at New Orleans, 8:30 p.m. ET

The line: Saints by 9½

The story: I'll make this one short and sweet. If Atlanta couldn't figure out Tony Romo -- which it didn't -- how does it stay with Drew Brees and New Orleans? Romo punched holes everywhere in the Falcons secondary last weekend, and it's that secondary that could keep Atlanta from moving to the next level.

New Orleans has won five of its past six against the Falcons, including its past three at home, and those teams weren't nearly as sound as this one. The Saints keep proving they're the best team in the NFC, but that isn't Atlanta's concern. The Falcons must demonstrate that for one night, at least, they're the best team in their division.

Unless they can control the clock and play flawless football, I don't see how. Miami should've beaten the Saints but suffered second-half screw-ups, with the Saints returning two interceptions for touchdowns. Atlanta can't afford similar mistakes and must keep Brees off the field.

Yeah, I know the club hasn't suffered back-to-back losses under coach Mike Smith, but there's always room for a first. And this is it. Mike, you're about to earn your paycheck.

Something to consider: Matt Ryan is 11-3 in indoor games and has a passer rating of 113.9 in two starts vs. New Orleans. When his rating exceeds 100, the Falcons are 8-0.