RockyMountainSaint

NFL - John Clayton's Last Call - ESPN
1. Falcons caught off guard: Atlanta Falcons coach Mike Smith summed up his team's 23-17 loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday by saying, "There is always the unknown in Week 1." In a rivalry as close as Saints-Falcons, better words couldn't have been spoken. The logical assumption going into the game was the Falcons had a significant advantage. They added Steven Jackson to one of the most talented offenses in football. The Saints have known for years they have to double cover Roddy White, Julio Jones and Tony Gonzalez. Add Jackson's 77 yards rushing and 45 receiving you would assume the Falcons would win, particularly with the strange state of the Saints' defense. As it turned out, the unknown of the Saints' defense defeated the Falcons.

Atlanta knew the Saints were in their first game in a 3-4 and were doing it with only two outside linebackers on their 46-man roster. Martez Wilson was inactive because of an elbow injury. Parys Haralson, acquired last week in a trade, and Junior Galette, who missed most of the preseason with injuries, were the only available outside linebackers. New defensive coordinator Rob Ryan outcoached the Falcons by using a three-safety defense featuring Roman Harper, Malcolm Jenkins and first-round pick Kenny Vaccaro.

"In the first game, you see a lot of unscouted looks," Smith said. As it turned out, the Saints baffled the Falcons with plenty of different looks and fronts. The Saints pressured from the right, left and middle. Matt Ryan still completed 25 of 38 passes for 304 yards and two touchdowns, but he was pressured enough to convert only three of 11 third downs and had only four drives longer than five plays. According to ESPN Stats & Information, the Saints rushed at least five defenders 13 times and recorded three sacks with those rushes.

One concern of the Falcons is their offensive line. It looks as though it can be physically beaten. The Bengals showed a little of that weakness in a dual practice in Atlanta last month. Matt Ryan and Smith each said some of the problems will be fixed in the weeks ahead with execution.

Still, in the end, these games come down to one play. You can criticize the Falcons' blocking or praise the Saints' defensive coaching, but Matt Ryan was at the Falcons' 3 on third down with a chance to tie. The Saints covered the next two passes and won, continuing an amazing rivalry. Eight of the past 11 games between these teams have been decided in the final possession.

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