ATLANTA – The New Orleans Saints can’t wait to have Drew Brees taking snaps again. In the meantime, they’re doing just fine without him.
The Saints (9-2) have won two straight games since the record-setting quarterback went down with a rib injury, stretching their overall streak of wins to eight heading into today’s game against the host Atlanta Falcons. The Saints, currently with the best record in their division and conference, can clinch their fourth straight playoff appearance as soon as today with a win or tie and help from other outcomes.
Going back to last season, New Orleans is 7-0 when Brees hasn’t been able to suit up.
“Obviously when it’s the quarterback, it draws more attention,” Saints coach Sean Payton said. “But our job as coaches is teaching the whole roster, from the practice squad to the starters. We’re developing all these players.”
Last year, it was Teddy Bridgewater who filled in so ably when Brees went down. This year, Taysom Hill stepped into the starting role. He will be facing the Falcons for the second time in three weeks, having guided the Saints to a 24-9 victory in his first NFL start at the position on Nov. 22 in New Orleans.
“You hope to go long periods of times without injuries, especially at that position, but you want to be able to function, still compete, compete to win,” Payton said. “It’s an approach we’ve always taken – not just the coaches here, but the players as well.”
Hill turned in solid numbers against the Falcons, completing 18 of 23 passes for 233 yards without an interception while rushing for two touchdowns. He wasn’t asked to do much in last Sunday’s blowout of the Denver Broncos, who were without a true quarterback for reasons related to COVID-19. Sacked three times, Hill was just 9-of-16 passing for 78 yards with an interception.
“I probably played it much closer to the vest because of the situation with the Denver offense,” Payton said. “It was two entirely different ballgames, but nonetheless we were able to win them both.”
With Hill starting at quarterback (as opposed to providing a changeup when Brees is healthy), and therefore throwing the ball more, his power runs have become more difficult to anticipate. The 6-foot-2, 221-pounder has rushed for 93 yards and four touchdowns in his two starts.
“In the past, it wouldn’t be unusual for a defense to play a certain defense when he’s at the quarterback position,” Payton said. “But now that he’s there on every snap, it’s probably less likely to get that same defense.”
The Falcons (4-7) are coming off their most complete performance of the season, a 43-6 rout of the Las Vegas Raiders last Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Atlanta is 4-2 under interim coach Raheem Morris, who could boost his chances of landing the permanent job with an upset of the Saints.
New Orleans has won five of the past six meetings in the heated NFC South rivalry.
“This team has absolutely owned us,” Morris said. “We’ve got to change that.”
The Falcons had five takeaways, their most since 2016, against the Raiders. Deion Jones had a 67-yard interception return for a touchdown, and Foye Oluokun forced a fumble for the fourth time this season. But the best – and most surprising performance – was by former practice squad end Jacob Tuioti-Mariner, who forced one fumble and recovered two to be selected as the NFC defensive player of the week.
“The defense has taken a step forward the past couple of weeks,” Tuioti-Mariner said. “It’s a good feeling to be out there flying around with each other.”
Special teams have helped, too, as Younghoe Koo has become one of the Falcons’ biggest weapons. The former Georgia Southern kicker from South Korea leads the NFL in scoring (109 points) and has made 21 consecutive field-goal attempts since his lone miss this season, a 48-yard attempt in a 30-26 loss to the Bears on Sept. 27,
Koo is 29-of-30 overall this season – including 7-of-7 from at least 50 yards – although he is 22-for-25 on extra-point attempts.
“We certainly have a lot of confidence in him,” Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan said. “If we can get past the 40, he’s proven time and time again that he’ll put it through the uprights for us.”
Atlanta’s offense ranks in the top third of the league with its per-game averages for yards (374.8) and points (26.8), but the Saints have the NFL’s best-ranked defense, holding top-five spots against both the run and the pass. New Orleans has allowed only one touchdown in its past four games, giving up a total of 28 points, and that includes holding the Falcons to three field goals.
“Everyone that’s playing these guys is struggling. Look at the Saints’ numbers; they’re fantastic,” Atlanta offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter said. “I’ve never seen a defense ranked in the top 10 in so many categories. They’re playing with a lot of confidence.”
Ryan, for one, is tired of seeing Saints defensive end Cam Jordan, who has sacked him 21 times in his career – an NFL record for most sacks by one player against a single quarterback.
“He’s been a great player for a long time,” said Ryan, who is in his 13th season. “Unfortunately, I’ve gotten to know him a little too well over the years.”
Ryan has been sacked a total of 17 times in his past two games against the Saints, a staggering number the Falcons must reduce to have any chance of an upset. The pressure is on right tackle Kaleb McGary to do a better job against Jordan, but everyone must chip in to stop a defense that has 19 sacks in the past five games, including eight against Ryan in the previous meeting.
“We put together a stretch where us as a unit – our secondary, our linebackers and up front, the defensive line – have really elevated our play,” Jordan said. “So it’s not more of an ‘I’ thing. It’s more of a ‘we’ thing.”