The New Orleans Saints were attempting to inch closer to the NFC South title and hand the division-rival Atlanta Falcons a gut-wrenching loss on Thursday Night Football.
For most of the night, it sure looked like New Orleans was going to do just that. But in some potentially season-saving desperation, the defending NFC Champs came through big time in front of their home crowd.
Taking advantage of some bad mistakes from the Saints and opportunistic plays on offense, Atlanta came out on top by the score of 20-17. Here are the biggest winners and losers from the Falcons’ dramatic win over New Orleans on Thursday night.
Winner: Michael Thomas wide receiver, New Orleans Saints
Thomas simply continues to dazzle for the Saints. Just in his second season, the Ohio State product has proven himself to be among the most consistent receivers in the game. He entered Thursday’s action having caught 73 percent of the 111 passes thrown in his direction this season.
Despite Falcons corner Desmond Trufant doing a tremendous job to break up a potential touchdown pass to Thomas on the Saints’ first possession, the second-year receiver got the best of his counterpart. Thomas caught 10-of-14 targets for 117 yards and a touchdown in the three-point loss
It’s this type of young talent that has fans in New Orleans excited. And assuming Alvin Kamara gets back on the field soon here, these two players could help lead the Saints deep into January football.
Loser: Vic Beasley, linebacker, Atlanta Falcons
After leading the NFL in sacks as a sophomore, Beasley’s third season in the NFL has been marred by injury and inconsistency. He entered Thursday’s game having recorded a grand total of four sacks in 10 games. That’s not the type of production Atlanta expects from an All-Pro player.
To say that Beasley failed to live up to this billing in a huge game Thursday night would be a major understatement. The young pass rusher recorded a grand total of one tackle with zero sacks or quarterback hits in the narrow win. Going up against a high-flying Saints offense, this type of disappearing act simply isn’t acceptable. It surely won’t be acceptable if Atlanta makes it to the second season.
Winner: Deion Jones, linebacker, Atlanta Falcons
Jones continues to play elite-level football as a sophomore. Already one of the better cover backers in the game, Jones performed extremely well in stopping the run against New Orleans Thursday night.
In fact, he racked up three tackles for loss in yet another tremendous performance. When all was said and done, Jones had recorded 13 tackles and two passes defended in Atlanta’s win.
But it was Jones’ game-saving interception late in the fourth quarter that made all the difference in the world (watch here). The LSU product picked off Drew Brees in the end zone with his Falcons up by three points and the game on the line. This almost literally saved the Falcons’ season and has the team just one game behind New Orleans heading into Week 15. Talk about a clutch performance.
Loser: Drew Brees, quarterback, New Orleans Saints
Brees had himself a tremendous first 58-plus minutes of the game, completing 26-of-34 passes for 271 yards with two scores and zero picks. But it was a disastrous late-game mistake that cost Brees and his Saints big time here.
With just under 1:30 remaining in the final stanza, Brees threw a pass into great coverage in the end zone. It was a pass he did not need to make with the Saints down three and on first-and-10 from Atlanta’s 11. Like clockwork, the aforementioned Jones intercepted the pass, ending the game.
We can give Brees some slack due to what he’s done for the Saints throughout his career. But that was a downright horrible mistake at the worst possible time. And it could ultimately end up costing the team the division.
Winner: Saints rookie defensive backs
Both Marshon Lattimore and Marcus Williams have been playing out of their minds as rookies this season. Lattimore, a potential Defensive Player of the Year candidate, has received most of the press.
He added to that candidacy Thursday, picking off a Matt Ryan pass intended for Julio Jones late in the second quarter. While New Orleans wasn’t able to turn this into points following a botched field goal opportunity, Lattimore likely did take points off the board for Atlanta. That’s pretty much what he’s been doing all season.
Lesser known to average fans out there, Williams has played equally good football. The rookie second-round pick from Utah put up 46 tackles, four passes defended and an interception in his first 11 games. He responded on Thursday by adding six tackles, two passes defended and his second career interception. Williams also played elite ball in center field, helping limit what Atlanta did up the middle.
The interesting dynamic here is that both Lattimore and Williams were questionable heading into Week 14. Not only did they play, they were major difference makers on a Saints defense that’s been among the biggest surprises in the NFL this season.
Loser: Matt Ryan, quarterback, Atlanta Falcons
We can give Ryan credit for leading his Falcons from behind, but that was more due to the play of the team’s defense in the second half and some dumb mistakes from New Orleans. In reality, the reigning NFL MVP did not have a good overall game at home Thursday night.
In a span of four passes at the midway point of the game, Ryan threw three interceptions. One took potential points off the board for Atlanta. Another one handed New Orleans seven points.
Sure the Falcons came out on top to keep their playoff and division title aspirations alive. But Ryan must play better than this if the team wants to repeat as conference champs. It’s that simple.