National Football League
New Orleans 17, Atlanta 13
When: 8:25 PM ET, Thursday, November 21, 2013
Where: Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia
Temperature: Dome
Head Official: Ron Winter
Attendance: 70422

Saints 17, Falcons 13: Drew Brees passed for 278 yards and two touchdowns and visiting New Orleans sacked Matt Ryan five times and held on for its sixth win in the last seven meetings with Atlanta.

Jimmy Graham caught five passes for 100 yards - including a go-ahead 44-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Fellow tight end Benjamin Watson also caught a touchdown pass and Pierre Thomas added a game-high 73 rushing yards along with five receptions for 57 yards for the Saints (9-2), who maintained a one-game lead in the loss column over Carolina (7-3) in the NFC South.

Ryan was 30-of-39 for 292 yards for the reeling Falcons (2-9), who have lost five straight - their longest streak since a six-game skid in 2007. Steven Jackson rushed for 63 yards and a touchdown and Harry Douglas caught nine passes for 79 yards for Atlanta.

Atlanta drove 76 yards for a touchdown on its first possession with Jackson capping the drive with a 1-yard plunge, but it couldn't sustain the success. The Falcons managed just two field goals the rest of the night and were shut out in the second half.

The Falcons were driving with a chance to take the lead early in the fourth when linebacker Keyunta Dawson forced rookie receiver Darius Johnson to fumble and Corey White recovered at the New Orleans 13. Atlanta again drove inside the 30 but settled for a failed 52-yard field goal attempt with 2:19 left. The Falcons didn't get the ball back until the Saints turned it over on downs with five seconds left.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Brees (49,566) moved past Warren Moon for fifth place on the NFL's all-time list for passing yards. … Graham has six 100-yard receiving games this season, tied with Cincinnati WR A.J. Green for the most in the league and even with Joe Horn for the franchise record. … Atlanta TE Tony Gonzalez. who finished with four catches for 43 yards, has at least one reception in 206 consecutive games - the second-longest streak in NFL history.

Top Game Performances
Rushing
New Orleans   Atlanta
Pierre Thomas Player Steven Jackson
10 Attempts 16
73 Yards 63
7.3 Avg Yards 3.9
0 Touchdowns 1
18 Long 8
Receiving
New Orleans   Atlanta
Jimmy Graham Player Harry Douglas
5 Receptions 9
100 Yards 79
20.0 Avg Yards 8.8
1 Touchdowns 0
44 Long 15
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
New Orleans 374 103 271 2 1 0 5.0 1
Atlanta 355 91 264 1 2 0 1.0 0
Upcoming Games
  • Atlanta will play their next game on the road against Buffalo. The Falcons have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .222 after a loss.
  • New Orleans will play their next game on the road against Seattle. The Saints have a W/L % of .750 after a win and 1.000 after a loss.
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