RailBoss

octoslash

Now heres a Dirty Bird Fan that has totally given up...
Pro Bowler
octoslash
Pure Football
8,262
10,022 posts

Posted 4 hours ago

SAINTS 77

FALCONS 3


edit: I forgot a digit earlier.

homerj07

Crap. We've had years like that... I almost feel sorry for them...

Oh... wait. No I don't. Hahahahaha!

WhoDat!656

Don't get me started!

Beastmode

These games are 98% of the time close so that is what to expect. Failclowns season is this game so motivation, morale, spidey factor, whatever you want to call it, they are going to bring it.

Sanu pass to Julio, fake punt, onsides. They will do it without question.

K Major

Sounds like every Saints opponent over the last 6 weeks or so. Atlanta is toast. Thursday will be the final nail in the coffin and any hope of the playoffs.

Season over.

WhoDat!656

If this game was in a$$lanta I would give the failclowns a chance, but it being a primetime game, barring a catastrophic injury to Brees, they have no chance.

SmashMouth

LB Duke Riley Shoulder FP (full practice)
CB Robert Alford Foot LP (limited practice)
LB De’Vondre Campbell Thigh LP
LB Deion Jones Foot LP
S Damontae Kazee Shoulder LP
WR Calvin Ridley Thigh LP
CB Desmond Trufant Thigh LP

Deion Jones suffered a broken foot the first game of the season and hasn’t played since. Not sure if he will play Thursday or not. Looks like he didn’t go through walk-throughs last night though.

st thomas

He’s the head hunter that could take someone out I hope he’s on the bench

SmashMouth

Atlanta Falcons (4-6) at New Orleans Saints (9-1)


1. There might be no worse matchup all season than the Saints offense against the Falcons defense. I say that knowing full well that the Raiders still have two games left to play against the Chiefs. New Orleans is on pace to finish with the third-highest scoring average in league history (37.8 PPG) just behind Peyton Manning's 2013 Broncos and ahead of Tom Brady's 2007 Patriots. The Saints have scored 40-plus points in three consecutive games, two of them against the defending Super Bowl champs and the juggernaut Rams. Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram lead the league with 20 scores from scrimmage by a RB duo. Meanwhile, Atlanta's injury-riddled defense is floundering. The Falcons have allowed 27.6 PPG and 405.2 YPG this season, both marks far worse from last year and the year before last -- ranking 29th in the league. Against top-tier offenses like New Orleans, Pittsburgh and even Cincinnati, the Falcons have struggled to get off the field and have allowed an average of 40.3 points per game. What's to say that changes on Thursday night?

2. The MVP race is Drew Brees' to lose. The future Hall of Famer has never won the honor, but that could change this history-making season. The 39-year-old leads the league in completion percentage (76.9), TD-INT ratio (25:1) and passer rating (126.9). If the season ended today, each of those would be single-season records. And the scary thing is he's getting better as the season goes along. In the last three weeks, Brees has nearly matched his passing TD total from his first seven games (14, 11). Though he might be down a receiver on Thursday night -- Tre'Quan Smith is iffy with a foot injury -- Brees will remain flush with receiving options: Ingram, Kamara, Brandon Marshall (potentially) and arguably the league's best receiver, Michael Thomas. The third-year wideout leads the league in reception percentage (90.1), yards after the catch (417) and is easily the most reliable receiver Brees has had in his 18-year career. In five career games against Atlanta, Thomas has averaged 107.8 yards per game. Most recently in the ATL, Thomas caught 10 balls on 10 targets for 129 yards. Back home in the dome, expect more of the same from the wideout and his MVP-caliber gunslinger.

3. Wait, but what about Atlanta's offense? Quiet, you. I'm getting to it. Overshadowed by their many holes on defense, the Falcons' attack has been more than proficient and is among the league's best. The Matt Ryan-led offensive unit ranks second in passing YPG (314.6) and completion percentage (71.1), just behind their NFC South rivals. While Brees is en route to a hardware-laden February, Ryan is the only player in the league completing at least 70 percent of his passes and averaging at least 300 passing YPG. Julio Jones is off the TD schneid, is leading the league in receiving (1,158) and has a game-breaking partner in crime. Calvin Ridley was unstoppable in his first game against the Saints, scoring three TDs on seven receptions. But New Orleans' defense has bunkered down since then, allowing just 21 points over their last two games. These Falcons-Saints clashes are always close, despite either team's glaring weaknesses coming in. The last four games have been decided by an average of 6.3 points. Key to this edition of the rivalry staying within a touchdown's margin will be Ryan's ability to keep pace with Brees.

ChrisXVI