Tonight at 8:30 p.m. ET the Atlanta Falcons (2-8) will try to salvage some semblance of positivity from this lost season in the Georgia Dome when they host the NFC South-leading New Orleans Saints (8-2) on the Week 12 edition of Thursday Night Football. Live stream the action here; Falcons fans can check out the radio broadcast on 790 The Zone, while Saints fans may do the same on WWL 105.3 FM.
The Saints are a dominant team this year and have a juicy matchup against one of the NFL's worst pass defenses. That doesn't mean Drew Brees is entering this divisional clash overconfident. "These are the (games) that just sharpen you, build confidence moving forward," Brees said.
His counterpart Matt Ryan offered some sound bites typical of a proud team that's been crushed by injuries with dashed postseason hopes. "Clearly, we're 10 games into this thing and certainly far, far away from where we want to be," Ryan said. "We've got six games to go. It's about going out there and taking pride in what you do."
Pride might not be enough to hold Brees, who is coming off a rare week in which he didn't explode. He threw just one touchdown against the 49ers along with an interception. He also completed 30 of 43 passes for 305 yards in that game, but the performance was below Brees' norm. "You're going to have games like this," he said after escaping with the victory. "This game means more the way that we won it."
There are concerns for the Saints coming off a physically taxing ordeal against San Francisco, combined with the desperation emanating from Atlanta. "This is a test that we're going to have to try and overcome," defensive end Cameron Jordan said. "Honestly, why not have it? It's a division opponent, it's our rival. It's going to talk a lot about the fortitude and what we have on this team."
Saints Injury Report:
|
G |
Not Injury Related |
Did Not Participate In Practice |
Probable |
|
|
|
G |
Neck |
Limited Participation in Practice |
Questionable |
|
DT |
Knee |
Limited Participation in Practice |
Questionable |
|
|
CB |
Hip |
Limited Participation in Practice |
Questionable |
|
|
|
DE |
Back |
Limited Participation in Practice |
Questionable |
|
CB |
Knee |
Out (Definitely Will Not Play) |
Out |
|
|
CB |
Hip |
Limited Participation in Practice |
Questionable |
|
|
|
LB |
Hamstring |
Limited Participation in Practice |
Probable |
|
G |
Ankle |
Did Not Participate In Practice |
Questionable |
|
|
S |
Concussion |
Limited Participation in Practice |
Questionable |
|
|
DE |
Ankle |
Limited Participation in Practice |
Probable |
|
|
TE |
Elbow |
Limited Participation in Practice |
Probable |
|
|
TE |
Concussion |
Limited Participation in Practice |
Questionable |
|
|
RB |
Knee |
Did Not Participate In Practice |
Questionable |
Falcons Injury Report:
|
LB |
Shoulder |
Full Participation in Practice |
Probable |
|
|
RB |
Ankle |
Full Participation in Practice |
Probable |
|
|
DE |
Calf |
Did Not Participate In Practice |
Out |
|
|
DT |
Shoulder |
Full Participation in Practice |
Probable |
|
|
DT |
tricep |
Limited Participation in Practice |
Questionable |
|
|
TE |
Toe |
Limited Participation in Practice |
Questionable |
|
|
S |
Hand |
Limited Participation in Practice |
Questionable |
|
|
T |
Knee |
Full Participation in Practice |
Probable |
|
|
QB |
Knee |
Limited Participation in Practice |
Questionable |
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