Freddie Falcon
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- Mar 16, 2019
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The Falcons found their way into the end zone in the second half this time, but the result of their game against the Saints was still a loss.
Matt Ryan threw an incompletion deep down the middle on the final play of regulation and the Saints held on for a 21-16 win in Atlanta. They shut the Falcons out in the second half of a 24-9 win in Week 11, so it’s a season sweep for the NFC South leaders.
The victory, coupled with the Bears’ loss to the Lions, makes the Saints the first NFL team to clinch a playoff berth.
It’s also nine straight wins for the Saints and three in a row with Taysom Hill as their starting quarterback. Hill went 27-of-37 for 232 yards and his first two passing touchdowns as an NFL player. He also ran 14 times for 83 yards and lost a fumble on a sack with Drew Brees looking on from the sideline for the first time since he suffered lung and rib injuries against the 49ers in Week 10.
Brees is now eligible to come off injured reserve at any point and his status will be a topic of conversation heading into the team’s Week 14 game in Philadelphia. A win in that game will clinch the divisional title for New Orleans.
Alvin Kamara ran 15 times for 88 yards and a touchdown while Michael Thomas paced the team’s receivers with nine catches for 105 yards. Tre'Quan Smith and Jared Cook caught Hill’s touchdown passes.
Ryan was able to get a touchdown on the board and only got sacked three times after being dropped eight times two weeks ago, but his 19-of-39 line shows it was another good day for the Saints Defense. The Falcons’ distant playoff hopes are all but extinguished at 4-8 and they’ll continue playing out the string against the Chargers next weekend.