ATLANTA (AP) -- The Atlanta Falcons couldn't do anything offensively.
Not to worry.
The defense left Drew Brees with egg on his face.
Brees
threw five interceptions for the first time in his career and, rubbing
salt in the wound, the Falcons also ended his NFL-record streak of
touchdown passes. The result was a 23-13 victory Thursday night that
pushed Atlanta to the brink of a division championship and might have
finished off the Saints' fading playoff hopes.
The Falcons (11-1)
built an early 17-0 lead, then struggled to move the ball. They finished
with 283 yards, by far the lowest total allowed this season by a Saints
defense that was on pace to give up the most yards in NFL history.
But
William Moore had two interceptions, and Thomas DeCoud, Sean
Weatherspoon and Jonathan Babineaux had one pick apiece. Another by
Corey Peters didn't count because of a penalty.
"That's the first
time that's ever happened to me, so that's extremely disappointing,"
Brees said. "I pride myself on being a good decision-maker and not
someone who will be a detriment to the game."
The Falcons will
clinch the NFC South with a month to go if Tampa Bay loses at Denver on
Sunday. The Saints (5-7) need to win out to have any chance, and even
that might not be enough to get the defending division champs back to
the playoffs.
"It looks pretty bleak right now," interim coach Joe Vitt said.
Brees
had thrown a touchdown pass in 54 consecutive games, breaking Johnny
Unitas' long-standing record earlier this season. There was an apparent
scoring pass to Darren Sproles late in the first half, but it was
nullified by a penalty.
"I didn't realize that until we walked off
the field," Falcons coach Mike Smith said. "That's an unbelievable
streak. Drew Brees is an outstanding quarterback. The way the defense
played tonight speaks volumes. The guys had gone out there and thrown
touchdown after touchdown game after game after game."
After
Sproles' TD was wiped off the board, Brees made another huge mistake
with New Orleans inside the Atlanta 10, allowing the clock to run out in
the first half without at least attempting a field goal.
Four days earlier, Brees had two passes picked off and returned for touchdowns in a loss to San Francisco.
This one was even worse. He finished 28 of 50 for 341 yards but had a rating of just 37.6, the third-lowest off his career.
"I
feel we have one of the best secondaries in the NFL," Falcons
cornerback Dunta Robinson said, "and I think we came out and showed
that."
When the Saints arrived in Atlanta, their bus was pelted by
eggs at the airport, epitomizing the long rivalry between the teams.
New Orleans had dominated in recent years, winning four in a row and 11
of 13.
This time, Michael Turner scored on Atlanta's opening
possession, Tony Gonzalez hauled in a touchdown pass from Matt Ryan, and
Matt Bryant booted three field goals, including a 55-yarder.
The defense did the rest.
"We got the monkey off our back," DeCoud said.
After
winning so many close games, the Falcons started this one as if they
were intent on routing the only team to beat them this season. New
Orleans knocked off Atlanta 31-27 at the Superdome on Nov. 11, the
bright spot in a tumultuous year that was marred by a bounty scandal and
a season-long suspension for coach Sean Payton.
Ryan completed a
pass on the first play from scrimmage before turning it over to a
running game that has struggled most of the season. Turner burst around
right end for a 35-yard gain. Jacquizz Rodgers broke off two straight
14-yard gains. Finally, it was Turner going in standing from 3 yards
out, giving Atlanta a quick 7-0 lead.
That was Turner's 58th touchdown in five seasons with the Falcons, breaking the team record he had shared with Terance Mathis.
Atlanta
struck again in the opening minute of the second period. Julio Jones
hauled in an 18-yard throw from Ryan, setting up a 17-yard touchdown
pass to Gonzalez in the back of the end zone. He beat former teammate
Curtis Lofton; maybe as a sign of respect, Gonzo just flipped the ball
over the crossbar instead of his customary basketball dunk.
Brees'
second interception, this one a sloppy pass behind running Chris Ivory
that deflected into the arms of Weatherspoon, set up Bryant's 45-yard
field goal for a 17-0 lead.
Then, suddenly, the game completely changed.
For
the rest of the second quarter and most of the third, the Saints
totally dominated. Mark Ingram scored on a 1-yard run, capping an
11-play, 80-yard drive, and New Orleans should have tacked on more
points at the end of the half. Brees made a rookie-like mistake with 12
seconds remaining, dumping a pass over the middle to Sproles with no
timeouts. He was wrapped up at the Atlanta 3 and the clock ran out
before the Saints could spike the ball.
"Honestly, I thought we
had more time than we did," Brees said. "The last time I remember, we
had 17 seconds. ... But it was down to 7 when I looked up after the
completion. That wasn't enough time to get the spike. That's on me."
But
New Orleans got the ball to start the second half, and Brees went back
to work. This time, he made a couple of nifty moves to avoid sacks,
completing six passes on an 83-yard drive consuming 15 plays and more
than 6 1/2 minutes. But the Falcons held again, forcing Garrett Hartley
to boot a 21-yard field goal that cut it to 17-10.
Hartley connected again from much farther out on the Saints' next possession, a 52-yarder that brought New Orleans even closer.
The
Falcons, meanwhile, failed to pick up a first down on five straight
possessions, a stretch in which the Saints had a 289-30 lead in total
yards and a staggering 18 first downs.
But the Atlanta defense kept coming through when it counted.
Late
in the third, Brees rolled to his right and threw over the middle.
Moore stepped in front of the receiver and returned it to the New
Orleans 16. Ryan connected on first-down throws to Gonzalez and Roddy
White to set up Bryant for a 29-yarder that extended the lead back to a
touchdown.
NOTES: Brees had two previous games with four
interceptions. ... This was Brees' lowest-rated game since joining the
Saints in 2006. With San Diego, he turned in a 35.7 at Washington in
2005 and a 26.8 at Chicago in 2003. ... Turner ran 12 times for 83
yards. ... Lance Moore of the Saints hauled in 11 passes for 123 yards.
___
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Copyright 2012 The Associated Press
