Saints, Falcons fight for playoff footing, root against Buccaneers.
The New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons both need to win on Sunday to have a shot at the postseason. However, winning their NFC South matchup at New Orleans will not be sufficient. To win the division, either team would also need the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to fall against Carolina.
The Falcons (7-9) can only advance if they win the division; the Saints (8-8) can only earn a wild card if they win along with the Bucs and both Green Bay and Seattle lose. There are a ton of factors at play because, as of Week 18, twenty out of the thirty-two NFL clubs are still in contention.
“None of that other stuff matters if we don’t take care of business against Atlanta,” Saints head coach Dennis Allen said. “We’ve got to keep the main thing the main thing. There’s not going to be a lot of scoreboard watching. We have enough to deal with in Atlanta and what they’re doing.” New Orleans kept its playoff hopes alive and prevented the Bucs from clinching the division title when it won at Tampa, 23-13, last Sunday.
The Falcons, who lost at Chicago, 37-17 in Week 17, defeated the Saints 24-15 on Nov. 26 in Atlanta. Atlanta, which ranks eighth in the NFL in rushing (130.1 yards per game), had the most rushing yards by a New Orleans opponent (228) in the first meeting. The Falcons’ 41 attempts were the most by a Saints opponent this season and their average (5.6) was the second highest.
“We understand the type of game it’s going to be,” Allen stated. “We are aware of their preferred method of gameplay. They do admirably in the running game. We must stop the run more effectively.”
Last week against the Bears, the Falcons ran the ball effectively (5.6 yards per carry), but they only managed 24 rushes overall as Chicago grabbed a decisive lead midway through the first quarter and controlled the ball for almost 37 minutes, forcing the Falcons to mount a comeback. Arthur Smith, the head coach, expressed confidence in his team’s ability to recover from its most lopsided loss of the year.
The way these guys play and prepare has been consistent all year,” Smith said. “Every game these guys have shown up ready to roll and we’ve had our chances. They’re a resilient group.”
Before the loss to the Bears, Atlanta’s previous six losses were one-score games. The first meeting with the Falcons was one of just two Saints losses that have been by more than one score. “We’ve lost some close games and most games are close in this league,” Smith said. “Anytime we play New Orleans, it’s a big deal.
There is undoubtedly a lot at stake in this game. I am aware that we are not entirely responsible for it, yet we still did it. “Life exists for us. That’s the reality of the issue, no matter how bizarre it turned out.”
Due to an ankle injury, Falcons quarterback Taylor Heinicke was limited in Wednesday’s practice. Injury-wise, center Drew
Dalman (ankle) was the sole starter who missed practice. Practice was missed by four Saints starters: tight end Juwan Johnson
(chest), defensive tackle Khalen Saunders (concussion), running back Alvin Kamara (ankle), and tackle Landon Young (knee).
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