Atlanta Falcons defeat New Orleans Saints, 23-13 – NFL Week 13 Recap
Atlanta Falcons defeated New Orleans Saints by 23-13 in Week 13 game on Thursday, November 29, 2012, at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA.
The game looked one-sided from the start, as Falcons running back Michael Turner rushed for three yards and scored first touchdown in first quarter.
In the beginning of second quarter, Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan threw a 17-yard pass to tight end Tony Gonzalez, who scored second touchdown and took the lead to 14-0.
At 08:53, Falcons kicker Matt Bryant kicked a 45-yard field goal and led the team to 17-0.
At the end of second quarter, Saints wide receiver Mark Ingram ran for one yard and scored a touchdown to reduce the deficit.
In third quarter, Saints kicker Garrett Hartley kicked two field goals of 21 and 52 yards respectively, and took the score to 13-17.
Later, Bryant kicked two more field goals of 29 and 55 yards respectively in fourth quarter and increased the lead to 23-13.
Falcons head coach Mike Smith was happy with the victory but he was surprised by below-par performance of Saints quarterback Drew Brees, he said:
"I didn't realize that until we walked off the field. That's an unbelievable streak. Drew Brees is an outstanding quarterback. The way the defence played tonight speaks volumes. The guys had gone out there and thrown touchdown after touchdown game after
game after game."
Brees had his NFL-record 54-game streak with a touchdown pass come to end.
He was intercepted five times, which is the worst in his 12-year career. He did not score any touchdown. With very low quarterback rating (23.4), he completed 28 of 50 passes for 341 yards.
On the other hand, Ryan’s performance was not that good either. He was 18 of 33 for 165 yards and scored one touchdown. His quarterback rating was 35.4, which is his second lowest this season.
Saints have won five and lost seven games and they are ranked 3rd in National Football Conference (NFC) South. On the other hand, Falcons are leading the division by winning 11 and losing just one game.
Saints and Falcons will play there next game in Week 14 against New York Jets and Carolina Panthers respectively.
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