The Saints have lost three of their last four games as they have been having been having a rough time on defense.  The Falcons have lost three games in a row, as they’ve been outscored 71-37 in those games.

The Saints will try to duplicate the game plan that gave them a 23-3 victory over the Falcons in week #3 of the season.  That plan was to throw the ball to get a lead and take the Falcons out of their running game.  Drew Brees (3,114 yards passing) has been on fire lately and that should continue against the injury-ravaged secondary of the Atlanta Falcons.  The Falcons are allowing 232.1 net yards passing per game.  The Saints will not forget to run the ball if they get a quick lead, as Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush could have some success against the injury-depleted defensive line of the Falcons.

The Falcons should have no problem getting their running game going against the Saints defense which is allowing 125.9 yards rushing and 4.8 yards per carry.  Warrick Dunn (813 yards rushing), Michael Vick (704 yards rushing) and Jerious Norwood (357 yards rushing) should all find running room.  The Falcons need to run to control the clock and keep the Saints offense on the sideline.  Look for Vick (1,686 yards passing) to take a couple shots down the field as the Saints have already allowed 20 TD passes this season.

This will be a better game than the first time these two teams played.  The Saints were riding a tidal wave of emotion in the first game as it was the first game at the SuperDome since Hurricane Katrina.  The Georgia Dome will not be as nice of an environment for the Saints.  Either team can win this game.