Week 3 Game Recap: Atlanta Falcons 3, New Orleans Saints 23

What you need to know

Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons entered the game with high expectations after two comfortable wins, but they could not match the intensity of the Saints.

Michael Vick had a bad night, completing 12 of 31 passes without a touchdown. He was sacked five times and was pressured all night. When he did make time to throw, the Saints’ pass defense was usually up to the task and provided excellent coverage.

After leading the NFL in rushing through two games, the Falcons were unable to move the ball on the ground for most of the game. Warrick Dunn was held under 50 yards and Michael Vick ended as the leading rusher for the team with 57 yards.

The Falcons’ passing game also struggled. Alge Crumpler led the team with 49 yards on five receptions, but he dropped a pass when open in the end zone and had two other drops during the game.

The Falcons’ defense could not pressure Drew Brees, ending the game with one sack and no turnovers.

New Orleans Saints

The Saints played their first game in the Superdome since 2004 and the fans were a factor. The home team was quickly on the scoreboard after blocking a punt on the Falcons’ opening drive and returning it for a touchdown.

WR Devery Henderson scored the only offensive touchdown of the game on a double reverse, and John Carney added three field goals.

The Saints’ passing game was efficient in the first half without being spectacular. Drew Brees only attempted nine passes in the second half as the team had a big lead. Marques Colston saw twice as many targets as Joe Horn and caught seven of ten passes to lead the team with 97 yards.

Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush had 40 touches between them as the Saints controlled the game on the ground after gaining the lead.

The Saints played very well on defense and were able to generate a good pass rush. The pressure led to five sacks and the coverage was excellent when Michael Vick was able to attempt a pass.

What you ought to know

QB Michael Vick, Pass: 12 - 31 - 137 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 6 - 57 - 0

Vick did not have a good game. He was under pressure from the Saints’ pass rush and was sacked five times. His receivers were covered for almost all of the game and had five drops between them. Vick fumbled after being sacked by Scott Fujita on the opening drive, but the ball went out of bounds. Alge Crumpler was Vick’s favorite receiving option with 12 targets, but he dropped three of them. One was in the end zone when Crumpler was clear of the defenders. Vick was forced to scramble often to avoid sacks, and he ended the game as the leading rusher for the Falcons. One run went for a 30 yard gain. Vick was not comfortable at any stage of the game and did not look happy when he was on the sidelines.

RB Warrick Dunn, Rush: 13 - 44 - 0, Rec: 2 - 2 - 0 (2 targets)

Dunn did not see his usual workload in this game. He carried 13 times for 44 yards and caught two one yard passes. The game situation meant that the Falcons could not run as they would have liked. The longest run of the game for the Falcons came when Dunn broke through for a 13 yard gain in the first half. None of his other carries gained more than six yards.

RB Justin Griffith, Rush: 3 - 16 - 0, Rec: 2 - 15 - 0 (2 targets)

Griffith had three carries, two of which came on the final two plays of the game. He was targeted twice and caught both passes. The longest reception was for 11 yards and gave the Falcons a first down at the two yard line.

RB Jerious Norwood, Rush: 1 - 0 - 0

With Dunn only carrying 13 times, Norwood saw just one carry and did not gain any yardage. He returned two kicks for a total of 69 yards and also drew a 15 yard penalty on one of them after he was hit out of bounds.

WR Michael Jenkins, Rec: 2 - 23 - 0 (6 targets)

Jenkins caught two of his six targets. The first was for eight yards and brought up a first down on the Falcons’ second drive. The second was on fourth and 12 and Jenkins made the catch for a 15 yard gain. One of his targets was uncatchable but he also had two drops on the night. He was called for offensive pass interference on one of the drops so it wouldn’t have counted even if he had been able to make the catch.

WR Ashley Lelie, Rec: 1 - 48 - 0 (5 targets)

Vick found Lelie for a 48 yard gain on the Falcons’ second drive of the game. Lelie was tackled immediately after making the catch. He was unable to make any other receptions, but two were uncatchable. He saw one target in the end zone but it was broken up by Fred Thomas. Even though the Falcons trailed throughout the game, Lelie only saw one ball thrown his way in the second half.

WR Roddy White (4 targets)

White was targeted once in the first half but slipped on the play and it almost led to an interception by Mike McKenzie. He saw three targets in the second half but was unable to make any of the catches.

TE Alge Crumpler, Rec: 5 - 49 - 0 (12 targets)

Crumpler had twice as many targets as the leading Falcons’ wide receiver but he did not convert all of his opportunities. The Falcons had a chance to tie the game on their second drive and Crumpler was targeted at the goal line. The pass hit him on the hands and was broken up by Roman Harper. Vick went straight back to Crumpler in the end zone on the following play, and Crumpler again dropped the pass, this time without any pressure from the defense. He had a third drop later in the half before making a 17 yard reception for a first down on the Falcons’ final drive of the half. Crumpler had receptions of 16 yards and 13 yards in the second half, both for a first down. Two other targets were uncatchable.

PK Morten Andersen 1 - 2 FG, 0 - 0 XP, 3 points

At age 46, Andersen was signed by the team. He converted a 26 yard field goal but had a 25 yard attempt blocked by Josh Bullocks.

ATL Rush Defense

The Atlanta rush defense saw a lot of action in the game. With the Saints holding an early lead, the defense gave up an 11 yard rushing touchdown to Devery Henderson on a double reverse. The Saints controlled the game on the ground in the second half and gained 146 net rushing yards at 4.3 yards per carry. Deuce McAllister broke one run for 22 yards. On the opening drive of the second half, the Saints had first and goal at the one yard line but were held to a field goal by the Falcons.

ATL Pass Defense

John Abraham was inactive for the second straight game and the Falcons’ pass rush did not generate much pressure. Kevin Mathis had their only sack of the day. Drew Brees was able to manage the game and complete 20 of his 28 pass attempts. The defense gave up two plays over 20 yards, both to Marques Colston. DeAngelo Hall injured his calf in the first quarter but was able to return to the game later.

QB Drew Brees, Pass: 20 - 28 - 191 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 1 - 1 - 0

Brees was impressive on the Saints’ second possession. He converted first downs of 11 yards, 14 yards and 28 yards, all to different receivers. Brees then made a crucial block on a double reverse play which saw Devery Henderson score an 11 yard touchdown. Brees was not under much pressure from the Falcons front four and was able to lead the team down the field for two field goals later in the first half. The second came at the end of the half when Brees was able to manage the clock well and move the ball 54 yards in under two minutes to set up the field goal. Brees was efficient, completing 20 of his 28 passes. With the game under control, Brees only threw nine times in the second half. He targeted Joe Horn deep on one play but the ball was well overthrown. Marques Colston was his favorite receiver with ten targets.

RB Deuce McAllister, Rush: 19 - 81 - 0, Rec: 4 - 13 - 0 (4 targets)

McAllister had a good game and was responsible for six first downs. His longest run of the game came in the first half when he had a 22 yard gain. The drive ended in a field goal. McAllister had a chance to score on the Saints’ opening possession of the second half, but he lost a yard on first and goal at the one after gaining four yards for a first down on the previous play. Reggie Bush was then given two opportunities but could not score. McAllister caught all four of his targets, one of which was for a seven yard gain and a first down. With the game under control, the Saints looked to McAllister more in the second half. He ended the game with 19 carries for 81 yards. McAllister had one long gain ruled out due to a holding penalty.

RB Reggie Bush, Rush: 13 - 53 - 0, Rec: 4 - 19 - 0 (5 targets)

Bush started the game slowly by slipping on the loose turf and losing three yards on his first carry. He was involved in a double reverse play that led to an 11 yard touchdown by Devery Henderson. Bush carried 13 times for 52 yards. The Saints employed two-back formations on some plays, and Bush was also used as the single back at times. His longest run of the day was a 13 yard gain which helped set up a 51 yard field goal at the end of the first half. Bush caught four of his five targets for a total of 19 yards, and the other pass was uncatchable. Bush was given two carries from the two yard line, but was unable to get into the end zone.

RB Aaron Stecker (1 targets)

Stecker was targeted once in the passing game but the ball was uncatchable. He returned two kicks for an average of 21 yards.

WR Marques Colston, Rec: 7 - 97 - 0 (10 targets)

Colston was the most targeted wide receiver in the game. Brees threw to him on third and eight on the Saints’ second drive, and Colston made the catch for a 28 yard gain. Colston had two other first down catches in the first half, and both drives resulted in a field goal for the Saints. He opened the second half with a 29 yard reception, the longest play from scrimmage for the Saints. Colston gained 97 yards on seven receptions.

WR Joe Horn, Rec: 3 - 47 - 0 (5 targets)

Horn was only targeted five times in the game. Three of his targets were caught, resulting in first downs. Horn looked to be in pain after landing on his back after making a fantastic reception but shook it off and quickly got back to action. The other two passes were uncatchable.

WR Devery Henderson, Rush: 1 - 11 - 1, Rec: 2 - 15 - 0 (3 targets)

Henderson was targeted three times in the game, all in the first half. His most significant contributions came on the Saints’ second possession. He caught a 14 yard pass for a first down, and then scored an 11 yard touchdown on a double reverse.

TE Ernie Conwell

Conwell was not a factor in the passing game and did not have any balls thrown in his direction.

PK John Carney 3 - 3 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 11 points

Carney made all of his kicks. He converted field goals of 37, 51 and 20 yards and made two extra point attempts. Carney did not attempt any 50 yard field goals during 2005 but his attempt easily had the distance from 51. He reportedly was making 53 yarders in warmups.

NO Rush Defense

The Saints managed to contain Warrick Dunn for the whole game. Michael Vick was able to gain 30 yards on one scramble and the Falcons ended with 117 net rushing yards, but that statistic is misleading. The reality was that the Falcons could not rely on the running game and abandoned the run almost entirely in the second half. New Orleans maintained outstanding containment consistently forcing Vick and Dunn to the inside where pursuit seemed to quickly catch up to them. Vick and Dunn can both make defenders look silly at times but this was not the case Monday night.

NO Pass Defense

The New Orleans pass defense had an excellent game. Michael Vick was under constant pressure and was sacked five times (Fujita, Mathis, Shanle, Grant, and Smith). The first sack caused Vick to fumble but the ball rolled out of bounds. When Vick did manage to scramble and create enough time to throw, he found his receivers buried in coverage. Some of his incomplete passes were accurate, but the defenders were able to break up the plays.