Atlanta Falcons Defeat New Orleans Saints In Overtime

While the NFL Champion New Orleans Saints are still that until someone knocks them out of the playoff picture, the Atlanta Falcons were their measure Sunday, winning 27 to 24 in overtime.

The Falcons overcame Saints Quaterback Drew Brees' 30 of 38 for 365 yards passing and Falcons Quarterback Matt Ryan was hot when behind, posting a 147.5 ratings according to ESPN.com. Finally, Falcons' Kicker Matt Bryant hit from 46 yards out to give Atlanta the win.



What's more impressive about the Falcons win is it came at the New Orleans Superdome. The Saints at-home record now stands at .500 with three games completed in the season as of this writing.

The difference? Turnovers and offense. New Orleans has three of them; Atlanta had just one.  Moreover, the Falcons gained 417 total yards versus 398 for the Saints.

This was a key early game for the NFC South; the winner would gain the upper hand in the 2010 playoff race. Now, New Orleans has to win at Atlanta if it expects to win the division.