After suffering through a shocking 12 losses in 2013, the Atlanta Falcons needed to come out of the gates hot this season. They did exactly that against the division rival New Orleans Saints, leaning on an explosive offense to grab a back and forth 37-34 overtime victory.
Saints vs. Falcons final score: 3 things we learned from Atlanta’s overtime win
The Falcons dropped the Saints in a 37-34 thriller and proved their offense is ready to dominate.
Matt Bryant sent the game to overtime with a last second 51-yard field goal, then won the game with a 52-yarder less than two minutes into the extra period. That game winner was set up by Marques Colston, who fumbled the ball away on the Saints' first possession of overtime.
The two teams combined for 24 points and traded the lead four times during the fourth quarter alone. Mark Ingram's three-yard touchdown with 1:20 remaining looked as though it had handed New Orleans a win, but Matt Ryan led the Falcons 47 yards in eight plays to set up the tying field goal.
1. Atlanta’s offense is back
Injuries and ineptitude kept the Falcons grounded for much of last season, but they looked spectacular to start 2014 against a New Orleans defense that ranked fourth in the league last season. Ryan set a career high with a 448 passing yards and added three touchdowns. Julio Jones and Roddy White combined for 188 yards and Devin Hester turned back the clock to add 99 yards through the air.
2. Both defenses could be in trouble
In fairness, these figure to be two of the most explosive offenses in the league, but 1,040 yards of combined yardage is not a good look for either defense. The Saints secondary was shredded despite the addition of big-money safety free agent Jairus Byrd. Both teams struggled to tackle in the open field and the two defensive fronts combined for just one sack.
3. The Saints backfield is still a committee
There was talk this offseason that Ingram was ready to step up and become the feature back that the Saints thought he would be when they took him 28th overall in 2011. While he did lead the team with 13 carries and scored a pair of critical fourth quarter touchdowns, Pierre Thomas and Khiry Robinson combined for 19 touches and appear as though they'll play integral roles in the offense. That Thomas tallied six receptions to Ingram's one means he's still the most reliable back in the passing game and could keep Ingram off the field on third downs.
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