Delivery Man
Drew Brees has thrown for 3176 yards and 20 TDs this season.
Given their disappointing 5-7 record, the New Orleans Saints are unlikely to deliver on the promise that followed them into the 2007 season. Though on Monday night, when Sean Payton’s team heads to the Georgia Dome to face the Atlanta Falcons, the Saints will simply be looking to deliver a win.
New Orleans, a consensus preseason favorite to win the NFC South this season, effectively surrendered that chance in a 27-23 home loss to Tampa Bay last Sunday. The Saints owned a 23-20 lead and had the football in the waning moments, but a disastrous trick-play pitch from running back Reggie Bush to wide receiver Devery Henderson was botched and picked up by Buccaneers defensive end Jovan Haye to set up the winning score for Tampa.
The defeat resigned Payton and company to attempting to navigate a crowded Wild Card race, one that includes a glut of five- , six- and (by Monday, likely) seven-win teams scrapping for the sixth and final playoff spot in the NFC.
A win on Monday would improve the Saints’ chances in advance of a three-game concluding stretch against the Cardinals and Eagles at home, and the Bears at Soldier Field.
The Falcons, meanwhile, would be thankful at this stage to even be part of the Wild Card discussion.
Since raising hopes briefly with a two-game win streak that lifted Atlanta to 3-6, Bobby Petrino’s club has lost three in a row, including a 28-16 setback at St. Louis last week. The Falcons rallied from a 21-0 halftime deficit in that game to pull within 21-16, with former third-string quarterback Chris Redman leading the charge, but Atlanta was unable to complete the comeback.
Still, Redman (16-of-24 passing, 172 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT) played well enough in relief to earn himself his first NFL start since Oct. 20, 2002, when he opened a 17-10 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars as a member of the Baltimore Ravens.
The Louisville product was 3-3 in six starts for Baltimore that year, before a back injury ended his season. Redman would throw just 13 more passes as a Raven, all in 2003, and apart from a stint in training camp with the Tennessee Titans in 2005, was out of football thereafter until being signed as a backup in Atlanta this past offseason.
Redman will become the third quarterback to start a game for the Falcons this season, joining Joey Harrington and Byron Leftwich.
SERIES HISTORY
Atlanta leads the all-time regular season series with New Orleans, 43-33, but has lost three straight against the Saints including a 22-16 road loss in Week 7. New Orleans swept last year’s home-and-home, including a 31-13 victory at the Georgia Dome. The Falcons won both meetings in 2005.
In addition to the regular season series, the teams have faced off once in the postseason, with Atlanta winning a 27-20 road affair in a 1991 NFC First-Round Playoff.
Payton is 3-0 against the Falcons as a head coach, while Atlanta’s Petrino is 0-1 versus both Payton and the Saints.
WHEN THE SAINTS HAVE THE BALL
Quarterback Drew Brees (3176 passing yards, 20 TD, 15 INT) has made the Saints offense go for most of the 2007 season, but comes off a 179-yard passing day that marked his lowest passing total of the season to date. Brees was 17-of-23 passing against Tampa Bay, hooking up for touchdowns with both Henderson (18 receptions, 3 TD) and Terrance Copper (8 receptions, 2 TD), but was also sacked three times after being brought down a league-low eight in his first 11 games. Brees will look to get more in tune this week with No. 1 wideout Marques Colston (70 receptions, 6 TD), who was limited to two catches for 39 yards last Sunday but is 114 yards shy of his second consecutive 1,000-yard season. A Saints rushing game that has sputtered for most of the year managed just 84 yards on the ground against Tampa, with Bush (581 rushing yards, 73 receptions, 6 TD) again being denied his first 100-yard rushing game of the season. Bush continues to lead NFL running backs in receptions. The Saints rank 10th in NFL total offense (343.9 yards per game) as Week 14 begins.
Brees will be going up against an Atlanta defense that ranks 18th in the league in defense (332.7 yards per game), including a respectable 13th against the pass (210.8 yards per game), and ranks near the bottom of the NFL with just 19 sacks on the year. The Falcons secondary has become the team’s strength, with cornerback DeAngelo Hall (50 tackles, 4 INT) putting together another Pro Bowl-worthy season and safeties Chris Crocker (37 tackles, 2 INT, 1 sack) and Lawyer Milloy (62 tackles, 2 INT) both notching interceptions of Rams quarterback Gus Frerotte last Sunday. In the pass rush, the team will be looking for a greater contribution over the final four games from end and first-round draft pick Jamaal Anderson (24 tackles), who has had a quiet rookie season. Atlanta has not played especially well against the run this year, ranking 24th in the league in that category (121.9 yards per game) and helping St. Louis running back Steven Jackson break open last week’s game with a 50-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Linebackers Michael Boley (96 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 INT) and Keith Brooking (75 tackles, 2 sacks) are 1-2 on the team in tackles.
WHEN THE FALCONS HAVE THE BALL
Redman will attempt to breathe life into a Falcons team that has scored an NFL-low 16 touchdowns on the season and ranks 26th in the league overall (299.2 yards per game). The club’s one offensive bright spot this year has actually been in the passing game, where wideout Roddy White (62 receptions, 4 TD) needs 80 yards to post his first career 1,000-yard season and become the first Falcon to reach the plateau since Terance Mathis in 1999. White comes off a huge day in St. Louis, where the former first-round pick posted career- highs with 10 catches for 146 yards and also scored his fourth touchdown of the year. White notched eight grabs for 110 yards and a score against New Orleans in Week 7. Tight end Alge Crumpler (34 receptions, 2 TD) also figures to be among Redman’s top targets. The running game has sputtered for most of the season due in large part to a makeshift offensive line, with neither Warrick Dunn (600 rushing yards, 3 TD, 32 receptions) nor Jerious Norwood (442 rushing yards, 1 TD, 23 receptions) earning consistent yards. Petrino hinted this week that Norwood, who rushed for a season-high 94 yards on just eight carries last week, could assume a larger role in the offense over the team’s final four games.
The Saints will likely be pleased to see the struggling Atlanta attack one week after allowing 466 yards to Tampa Bay and its backup quarterback, Luke McCown. McCown threw for 313 yards in his first NFL start since 2004, and New Orleans had particular trouble handling wideout Joey Galloway, who exploded for seven catches and 159 yards. The lack of defensive proficiency was nothing new for the Saints, who are currently 26th in the league in total defense (351.7 yards per game) and have experienced problems against both the pass and run at times during 2007. A front seven led by linebackers Scott Fujita (75 tackles, 1 sack), Scott Shanle (48 tackles) and nose tackle Hollis Thomas (40 tackles, 2 sacks) will have to bounce back after allowing a 100-yard game to the Buccaneers’ Earnest Graham last week. The secondary, which has had its hiccups this year but got a big play in the form of a 53-yard interception return by cornerback Mike McKenzie (46 tackles, 3 INT) last Sunday, will need help from a hot-and-cold pass rush. The Saints sacked McCown three times last week, including one by top pass rusher Will Smith (45 tackles, 5 sacks) that went for a fourth quarter safety.
FANTASY FOCUS
Since suffering through a poor first month, both Brees and Colston have picked up both their actual and fantasy production to the point that each is a must- start. Despite his rushing struggles, Bush is a pretty good No. 2 or flex option because of his receiving abilities. Stay away from a kicking game that has recorded a league-low eight field goals on the year, and a defense that rarely makes big plays.
On the Atlanta side, the receiver White has become a viable fantasy option, and Crumpler will still give you something from the tight end position. It’s hard to know what to expect from either Redman or Norwood, but against a weak New Orleans defense, it might be worth taking a flier on one or both if you’re desperate.
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