Saints Vs. Falcons: Saints Rally Late To Stun Falcons, Clinch Playoff Spot

Dec 27, 2010 | Tags: atlanta falcons, falcons, falcons schedule, georgia tech football, new orleans saints, saints

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The NFC South title will go down to the final week of the regular season after the Saints rallied to defeat the Falcons 17-14 on Monday night

Drew Brees threw a six-yard touchdown pass to rookie tight end Jimmy Graham with 3:24 remaining, as the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints secured a spot in the postseason with a 17-14 victory over the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome.

Brees completed 35-of-49 passes for 302 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions for the Saints (11-4), who bounced back from a 30-24 loss to the Ravens last week and avenged an overtime loss to Atlanta in Week 3.

New Orleans kept its hopes alive of claiming a second straight NFC South title. If the Saints beat Tampa Bay next week and the Falcons lose to Carolina, New Orleans wins the division.

Pierre Thomas carried the ball 19 times for 63 yards and a touchdown. He also caught seven passes for 39 yards. Robert Meachem led the receiving corps with 10 catches for 101 yards.

Matt Ryan connected on 15-of-29 passes for 148 yards and a touchdown for the Falcons (12-3), who saw an eight-game winning streak come to an end. Atlanta, which has already wrapped up a playoff spot, can still gain the No. 1 seed in the NFC with a win next week.

Michael Turner carried the ball 17 times for 48 yards. Roddy White hauled in three passes for 43 yards and a score.

The Falcons gained just 215 yards of total offense, the lowest total since Mike Smith took over in 2008.

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