Put up or shut up in Atlanta: The NFC South lead will be on the line when the
New Orleans Saints face the
Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome. The
Tampa Bay Buccaneers are struggling at 4-4, so the division is turning back into a two-team race. It will be interesting to see whether the Falcons change some of their pass-coverage schemes when facing
Drew Brees. The Falcons like to use a lot of Cover 2, particularly on third downs. This year, opponents are converting 41.9 of their third downs against the Falcons' defense, and the Falcons' defense has an 82.1 passer rating against it. Thanks to the development of
Jimmy Graham at tight end and
Darren Sproles' catching passes out of the backfield, Brees can now destroy the Cover 2 defense. The Falcons might have to try some man-to-man. The Falcons have lost four of their past five games against the Saints, and Sean Payton is 8-2 against the Falcons. If the Falcons want to repeat as NFC South winners, they have to put up or shut up Sunday.