Atlanta 37, New Orleans 34
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, September 7, 2014
Where: Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia
Temperature:
Dome
Head Official:
Bill Leavy
Attendance:
70706
By SportsDirect Inc.
Falcons 37, Saints 34 (OT): Matt Bryant booted through the game-winning 52-yard field goal in overtime after connecting from 51 as time expired in regulation to lift Atlanta past visiting New Orleans.
Matt Ryan went 31-for-43 for 448 yards and three touchdowns for the Falcons (1-0), who overcame a 13-point first-half deficit. Julio Jones hauled in seven catches for 116 yards and newcomer Devin Hester recorded 99 yards receiving while Roddy White, Antone Smith and Levine Toilolo each grabbed a TD reception.
Mark Ingram ran for 60 yards and a pair of fourth-quarter TDs while Drew Brees went 29-of-42 for 333 yards and a score to lead the Saints (0-1). New Orleans had a chance with the ball at the start of overtime but Marques Colston fumbled and Atlanta needed only three plays to set up Bryant’s winning field goal.
Ingram’s 3-yard TD run with 8:46 left put the Saints in front 27-24, but the Falcons came back with an eight-play, 94-yard drive capped by Jacquizz Rodgers’ 17-yard scoring run with 2:50 to play. Brees marched New Orleans right back down the field and Ingram punched it in again for a 3-yard TD with 1:20 remaining before Atlanta knotted it up at the whistle.
The Saints raced out to a 13-0 lead and were up 20-7 after Brees found rookie Brandin Cooks for a 3-yard score with 20 seconds left in the first half, but the Falcons gained some momentum by using that 20 seconds to set up a 40-yard field goal as time expired. Ryan drove the team 80 yards on the opening drive of the third and found Toilolo for a 1-yard TD pass before giving Atlanta its first lead of the game with a 54-yard strike to Smith with 21 seconds left in the third.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Cooks finished with seven catches for 77 yards and a score in his NFL debut while Colston had five receptions for 110 yards to lead the New Orleans receiving corps. … Ryan, who threw a career-high 17 interceptions while being sacked a career-most 44 times in 2013, did not throw a pick and was sacked once by the Saints. … Stephen Jackson led the Atlanta running attack with 52 yards on 12 carries.
Top Game Performances
Rushing
New Orleans |
|
Atlanta |
Mark Ingram
|
Player |
Steven Jackson |
13 |
Attempts |
12 |
60 |
Yards |
52 |
4.6 |
Avg Yards |
4.3 |
2 |
Touchdowns |
0 |
19 |
Long |
17 |
Team Stats Summary
|
Yards |
Scoring |
Defense |
Team |
Tot |
Rus |
Pas |
TD |
FG |
INT |
Sck |
FF |
New Orleans
|
472 |
139 |
333 |
4 |
2 |
0 |
1.0 |
1 |
Atlanta
|
568 |
123 |
445 |
4 |
3 |
1 |
0.0 |
1 |
Upcoming Games
-
Atlanta will play their next game on the road against Cincinnati. The Falcons have a W/L % of 1.000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
-
New Orleans will play their next game on the road against Cleveland. The Saints have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.