ATLANTA - The New Orleans Saints can settle a score when they visit the Atlanta Falcons Thursday night.
The Saints (9-2) also can clinch their third straight NFC South title by beating the Falcons. That's the more important motivation.
"Everybody in this locker room has that on their mind," Saints defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins said of the three-peat goal.
The Falcons shocked the Saints 26-9 on Nov. 10 in New Orleans. It was the Saints' only loss in their last nine games.
"We didn't play good football last time," said Saints linebacker Demario Davis. "We didn't stop the run well. We didn't get off the field on third down. We didn't create turnovers, weren't good in the red zone. We've got to get better all the way around, for sure."
Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn speaks to his team during the first half of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2019, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)The Falcons know they can't expect the same results, especially when facing an offense led by quarterback Drew Brees.
"You know Drew. He's the type player, if you got him with a disguise the first time, if you beat him with a certain coverage the first time, you can't just try to bring that out there and do it again, because he's a guy who is always studying," said Falcons safety Ricardo Allen. "... He's not going to be fooled too many times."
The impressive showing at New Orleans was the first of two straight wins in which Atlanta did not allow a touchdown, raising hopes for a second-half turnaround. Instead, the Falcons (3-8) returned to their losing form in Sunday's 35-22 home loss to Tampa Bay, regaining sole claim to last place in the division.
Falcons owner Arthur Blank's task of evaluating coach Dan Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff has been complicated by the team's inconsistent play.
The two straight wins followed Quinn shaking up his coaching staff in a bye week. Most notably, Raheem Morris moved from wide receivers coach to the secondary. Morris and linebackers coach Jeff Ulbrich are calling the plays on defense, a duty Quinn held as the self-appointed defensive coordinator to start the season.
The rematch with the Saints may help Blank and Falcons fans conclude if meaningful fixes have been found to problems that led to a 1-7 start.
New Orleans Saints offensive guard Patrick Omameh (60) congratulates wide receiver Michael Thomas (13) after Thomas scored a touchdown, during the second half at an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2019, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Bill Feig)Falcons running back Devonta Freeman may play after missing two games with a sprained foot, but tight end Austin Hooper is expected to miss his third straight game with a knee injury.
Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore could return from a hamstring injury. Lattimore was hurt while trying to cover Atlanta receiver Julio Jones on Nov. 10 and has not played since. Jones missed practice time with a shoulder injury this week.
New Orleans' Michael Thomas caught 13 passes for 152 yards against the Falcons on Nov. 10 and has five straight 100-yard games. He is the NFL's second-highest paid receiver, behind Jones, who had three catches for 79 yards in the first meeting. Thomas leads the NFL with 104 receptions for 1,242 yards, while Jones has 64 catches for 950 yards.
Jones has been held without a touchdown since scoring four in the first three weeks, while Thomas is on a record pace in several categories.
New Orleans' left side of the line will be comprised of players who have not played much this season. With Andrus Peat already sidelined by a fractured forearm, Terron Armstead went out with an ankle sprain against Carolina last Sunday and wasn't expected to face the Falcons on a short week. In their places are Nick Easton at left guard and Patrick Omameh at left tackle. Brees was sacked a season-high six times in the loss to Atlanta.