The game between the winless New Orleans Saints and 1-1 Atlanta Falcons comes one day after the 10th anniversary of the day the Superdome reopened its doors for business after undergoing an extensive and costly renovation in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
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“They could just as easily be 2-0”, Quinn said. “It doesn’t mean as much unless you win”.
Corny writing 101 would tell me to drop a “Dey Know” reference in memory of Shawty Lo, when Saints fans ask “Who Dat”, but we’ll skip that and get right to the facts. But as the black and gold would say, “They still count as losses whether they lose by 100 points or by 1 point”.
“Having been through the actual opening – that was emotional”, Payton said of the Saints’ 23-3 victory over the Falcons on Monday night, September 25, 2006. “You go until they put you in a third down”. The Saints have won the last two meetings against the Falcons.
However, the Saints will be feeling the pressure and will be even more desperate for the win today. The Falcons have allowed an average of 122.5 yards per game and 4.6 yards per rushing attempt. The Saints would also like to get tight end Coby Fleener more involved after the free-agent addition has struggled to get on the same page with Brees.
P.J. Williams: The corner was placed on injured reserve due to a concussion (although Williams thankfully avoided a spinal injury). SAINTS: DNP: T Terron Armstead (Arkansas Pine-Bluff) (knee), CB Delvin Breaux (fibula), DT Tyler Davison (shoulder, foot), LB Dannell Ellerbe (quadricep), TE Josh Hill (ankle), WR Willie Snead (toe), S Kenny Vaccaro (ankle).
“I feel like the offensive line has been doing a great job in the run game”, said running back Mark Ingram.
All those guys will get challenged once again this week. The Falcons have only one – defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux.
This game could prove to be the turning point of the season for the victor. I think we proved that last week when we kept those three (Beckham, Victor Cruz and Sterling Shepard) out of the end zone. Tamme leads the Falcons with 11 catches for 126 yards and a touchdown, while Hooper and Toilolo have combined for six catches for 119 yards through two games. He’s thrown 254 touchdown passes to just 99 interceptions at home, compared to 179 touchdowns and 106 interceptions on the road. Julio Jones starred in the win in Oakland but did not finish the game, limping off with a calf injury.
The Saints kicker, Wil Lutz, has attempted seven field goals and has missed three of them. Depending on how the Saints’ defense plays, he could help Atlanta keep pace in what looks to be a high scoring affair.
My gut feeling is that the defense will play a decent game. Meanwhile, the Saints lost to the Giants in a game that was controlled by the Giants defense. This game could go either way but it is the Saints who have home field advantage and will be hoping that can swing things their way.
The Saints have played the Falcons more than any other opponent.
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Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan is shown in this file photo. Head coach Sean Payton pointed the finger at the right interior of the line for allowing the blocked kick by NY. They have to block much better for Brees in this game. The brew is beloved by many in the surrounding area and accentuates what makes New Orleans traditional, but vastly different and wonderful. As a team, New Orleans is 28th in the National Football League with 64.5 rushing yards per game. I believe this will be the game where Fleener will show why the Saints paid him $36 million during the offseason.
