Saints aim to strengthen hold on first place against struggling Falcons in weak NFC South

ATLANTA (AP) — First place in the mediocre NFC South, the NFL’s only division to lack a team with a winning record, will be on the line when New Orleans visits Atlanta on Sunday.

The Saints (5-5) can strengthen their hold on first place by beating the Falcons (4-6). Atlanta has a three-game losing streak, leaving coach Arthur Smith surprised but grateful his team remains in contention in the weak division.

Even with seven games remaining, Smith acknowledged this is a must-win game for the Falcons. It’s also an important game for the coach, who posted 7-10 records in each of his first two seasons and is under pressure to produce a winner and end Atlanta’s five-year playoff drought.

“We put ourselves in this pressure situation and this is what it’s about,” Smith said. “I’m thankful to have this opportunity for this enormous game coming up against the Saints at home. We’ve got everything on the line and everything to play for.”

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First place provides no false comfort for Saints coach Dennis Allen, who has criticized his team’s lack of consistency.

“We’ve been a little bit of a tale of two teams in that the first part of the season,” Allen said, adding that the Saints’ offense struggled the first five games while the defense played well.

“That’s flipped a little bit over the last five weeks,” Allen said. “… We need to get back to playing the type of defense that we played earlier in the season.”

Each team is coming off bye weeks that were important to quarterbacks Derek Carr in New Orleans and Desmond Ridder in Atlanta.

The off week gave Carr an opportunity to recover after being knocked out of a 27-19 loss to Minnesota on Nov. 12 with a concussion and shoulder injury.

Carr was removed from the Saints’ injury report on Thursday after participating in a full practice on Wednesday.

Jameis Winston threw two touchdown passes and two late interceptions after taking over for Carr against the Vikings.

The Falcons also faced uncertainty at quarterback during the bye. Smith said Monday that Ridder would be reinstated as the starter.

Veteran Taylor Heinicke started the last two games before leaving the Falcons’ 25-23 loss at Arizona on Nov. 12 with a hamstring injury. Heinicke was limited in practice on Wednesday and Thursday. Logan Woodside is the other option as Ridder’s backup.

STAY ON TRACK

Ridder is 4-4 as a starter this season and has thrown six touchdown passes with six interceptions. He has struggled to avoid sacks and fumbles and said success on first downs will be a key in his return as a starter.

“One thing for us obviously is just stay on track, be able to get out there and not get in second and longs, not get in third and longs,” Ridder said.

Ridder, who was 2-2 in his late-season audition as a rookie in 2022, is 5-1 as a starter in home games.

SACKLESS SAINTS

Too bad for Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan that Matt Ryan isn’t under center in Atlanta anymore. Jordan sacked him more than any other quarterback. This season, Jordan is well behind his usual pace for sacks, as is the defense as a whole.

New Orleans has 18 sacks this season, tied with New England for third-fewest in the NFL, including two from Jordan.

PIERRE-PAUL TO THE RESCUE

To help their defensive front, the Saints signed veteran Jason Pierre-Paul. His role this week is not clear.

“He’s got, you know, pedigree,” Allen said. “He’s, you know, really an instinctive player. He understands the game.”

FAMILIAR FACES

The Falcons’ defensive coordinator is former Saints co-defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen. Atlanta added two notable former Saints players, defensive tackle David Onyemata and linebacker Kaden Ellis, in the offseason.

“How many more guys do they need, you know?” Jordan said. “Yeah, I mean, it feels feels personal. ... You know, they got Saints lite over on the on the Atlanta side. So, they know us even better now than they have previously.”

NO ROOKIE FATIGUE FOR BIJAN

Falcons rookie running back Bijan Robinson had a career-high 22 carries for 95 yards and a touchdown against Arizona. He had a combined 19 receptions in his first four games and has only three catches for 19 yards in his last four games. Even so, his carries against Arizona showed Smith has increased confidence in Robinson’s durability.

“He’s going to have a huge role in our game plan,” Smith said, adding, “you expect more of a lull, maybe a rookie fatigue at some point. And I certainly have not seen that from him.”

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AP Sports Writer Brett Martel in New Orleans contributed to this report.

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