17-14: Saints avenge earlier loss to Falcons

Could this be the NFC Championship matchup? Saints edge the Falcons by three (although they should have won going away).
Drew Brees makes two awful mistakes that keep the suspense going in this one, but the Saints easily turn in their finest defensive performance of the season in beating Atlanta 17-14.

Falcons beat Saints in OT, 27-24 ... BARELY

Well, Garrett Hartley finally missed one that cost us the game, like Saints kickers in the past, most recently Olinda Mare.
With a first and goal at about the Falcons 12 yard line, the Saints try a field goal with about 9 seconds left in regulation. I thought it was enough time to try one pass to Marquez Colston, but evidently Sean Payton thought otherwise.
I told you the 4 things the Saints needed to do to win the game. The Saints did only one of them today, and that was try, with success, the long ball.
The Falcons, led by a strong running game powered by Michael Turner and Jason Snelling, were able to methodically move down the field in OT and kick the game winner.

Can the Saints slow down the high-flying Falcons?

The New Orleans Saints are 2-0 and have won both games in dramatic fashion. Against the Vikings, the Saints struck early then went to a smashmouth running game to seal the victory, 14-10.
A week later, they traveled to Candlestick Park to face an aggressive 49er team and capitalized on four turnovers and the leg of kicker Garrett Hartley to escape with a 25-22 win.
It doesn't get any easier. This week, they host the Atlanta Falcons coming off a high-flying 41-7 win against the Arizona Cardinals.
The Saints will need more than 17 points to beat this team. Two offensive touchdowns a game won't cut it.
Will the Saints win? Especially without Reggie Bush, who broke his leg Monday night?
I don't know. What I do know is that with bruising running back Michael Turner coming to town, the Falcons will have faced three of the best running backs in the NFL in as many weeks.
In week one, Adrian Peterson ran around the Saints for 87 yards on 19 carries, a 4.6 yard-per-carry average.
In week two, Frank Gore plowed through them for 112 yards on 20 carries.
Now in week three, here comes Turner and a resurgent Jason Snelling.
How much can a defense take?