The Saints have brought back 46-year old kicker John Carney to take over on field goals and extra points.  Carney played in 11 games for the Saints last season in which he connected on 13 of 17 field goals (76.5%) and 50 of 52 extra points good for 89 points.  He has now played in 298 games in his NFL career and he has made 473 of 574 field goals (82.4%) and he’s also 625 of 635 on extra points as he has 2,044 points in his NFL career so far.  24-year old Garrett Hartley will pretty much be a kickoff specialist for now.  He has made 4 of 7 field goals (57.1%) so far this year and he is 7 of 7 on extra points good for 19 points.  Hartley has now played in 16 games in parts of three years with the Saints and he has made 26 of 31 field goals (83.9%) and he is 45 of 46 on extra points good for 123 points.  Hartley is still likely the Saints’ placekicker of the future but John Carney is the guy for right now.

The special teams and defense let the Saints down in this game.  They set up kicker Garrett Hartley with a 29-yard field goal attempt in O.T. and he missed it.  Matt Ryan led his Falcons on a 12 play, 52-yard drive which resulted in a Matt Bryant 46-yard game winning field goal. 

Drew Brees played pretty well overall in this game as he completed 30 of 38 passes for 365 yards passing with 3 TDs and 2 INTs.  Pierre Thomas only carried the ball 9 times for 30 yards (3.3 ypc) in this game but he also caught 6 passes for 61 yards (10.2 avg).  WR Lance Moore had a huge game for the Saints yesterday with 6 grabs for 149 yards (24.8 avg) with 2 TD grabs and he also returned a punt 72 yards.  TE Jeremy Shockey also had a good game with 8 grabs for 78 yards (9.8 avg) with a TD grab.  The Saints finished up with 43 yards rushing on 16 carries (2.7 ypc) and they also completed 30 of 38 passes for 355 yards.

The defense really let the Saints down in this game as the Falcons pushed them around.  LBs Jonathan Vilma (11 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 QB hit), Scott Shanle (11 tackles) and Jo-Lonn Dunbar (10 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss) led the way for the Saints in this game.  The Falcons finished up with 202 yards rushing on 50 carries (4.0 ypc) and they also completed 19 of 30 passes for 215 yards.  The Saints are now 2-1 on the year.

The Saints swept the Falcons by a combined score of 61-50 last season.  But the teams come into this game ready to slug it out as the Falcons are the biggest threat to the Saints in the NFC South this year.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Saints have the ball:  The Falcons have only allowed 22 points this year and the big reason for that is improved pass defense.  The Falcons are allowing 180.0 yards passing this year and they already have 4 interceptions and 5 sacks this year.  I still expect the Saints to attack the Falcons through the air though as Drew Brees tore them up last year.  Brees completed 56 of 73 passes (76.7%) for 604 yards with 5 TD passes and 1 INT against the Falcons last year.  All of that being said though the Falcons have had troubles stopping the run this year as they are allowing 130.5 yards rushing per game and 5.9 yards per carry.  So expect Pierre Thomas to get his fair share of touches in this game.

When the Falcons have the ball:  The Falcons are going to run the ball a lot in this game.  Michael Turner and Jason Snelling are going to take aim at the Saints’ linebackers so Jonathan Vilma, Scott Shanle and Jo-Lonn Dunbar better be ready in this game.  Michael Turner only played in one of the games against the Saints last season and he carried the ball 20 times for 151 yards (7.6 ypc) with a TD run.  The Falcons are far from one dimensional so Matt Ryan will also be attacking the Saints’ secondary with Roddy White, Tony Gonzalez and Harry Douglas.

PREDICTION:  SAINTS 30, FALCONS 27

RB Pierre Thomas has been getting a lot of action for the Saints so far this year.  In his first two games of the season, Thomas has carried the ball 37 times for 117 yards (3.2 ypc) with 1 TD carry.  He also has caught 11 passes for 72 yards (6.5 avg) so far this year.  Thomas has never been known for his hands but Drew Brees is 11 for 11 when throwing him the ball.  Thomas will likely have an even heavier workload in the near future with Reggie Bush out for a few weeks with a broken leg.

The Saints have re-signed 31-year old RB Ladell Betts and they have released RB DeShawn Wynn.  Betts played in 10 games (2 starts) for the Redskins last season in which he carried the ball 56 times for 210 yards (3.8 ypc) with 2 TD runs and he also caught 17 passes for 179 yards (10.5 avg).  Betts has now played in 103 games (13 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 776 times for 3,176 yards (4.1 ypc) with 13 TD runs.  He has also caught 165 passes for 1,505 yards (9.1 avg) with 3 TD grabs in his career.  This was a good move for the Saints because Betts is a better RB than Wynn and with Reggie Bush out for a while, the Saints needed a back they can trust to give Pierre Thomas a break once in a while.

UPDATE:  The Saints have re-signed Wynn to the practice squad.

The Saints have lost running back/punt returner Reggie Bush for at least the next six weeks after he fractured his fibula last night against the Niners.  Bush has played in 2 games for the Saints this year and he has carried the ball 7 times for 18 yards (2.6 ypc).  Bush also has caught 9 passes for 63 yards (7.0 avg) with a TD grab and he has also returned 6 punts for 50 yards (8.3 avg) this year.  This will hurt the Saints big time as Bush fills a lot of roles on this team and he’s a guy Brees looks for when the pocket starts to break down.

Drew Brees proved why he is the best QB in the NFL right now as he drove the Saints into field goal range on a outstanding final drive of the game.  Garrett Hartley then ran out on the field and nailed a 37-yard field goal as time expired to give the Saints another hard fought win on the road last night.  Drew Brees was solid as usual as he completed 28 of 38 passes for 254 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Pierre Thomas had a heavy workload last night for the Saints.  Thomas carried the ball 18 times for 46 yards (2.6 ypc) and he also caught 8 passes for 57 yards (7.1 avg).  Reggie Bush carried the ball 5 times for 4 yards (0.8 ypc) last night and he also caught 4 passes for 30 yards (7.5 avg) with a TD grab.  WR Marques Colston (5 rec, 67 yards) and TE Dave Thomas (3 rec, 10 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Saints last night.  The Saints finished up with 50 yards rushing on 24 carries (2.1 ypc) and they also completed 28 of 38 passes for 237 yards. 

The defense gave up a lot of yards to the 49ers last night.  LB Jonathan Vilma led the way for the D last night with 10 tackles and 1 QB hit.  CB Tracy Porter (7 tackles, 1 pass defensed, 1 INT) and safety Roman Harper (6 tackles, 1 pass defensed, 1 QB hit and 1 interception) also pitched in last night on D for the Saints last night.  The 49ers finished up with 142 yards rushing on 26 carries (5.5 ypc) and they also completed 23 of 32 passes for 275 yards last night.  The Saints are now 2-0 on the year.

The Saints have had a lot of rest to get ready for the 49ers so I look for them to give them their best shot.  The Niners are still licking their wounds after getting destroyed by the Seahawks in the season opener last week.  Here is a look at the match-ups in this game:

When the Saints have the ball:  The Saints will likely come out throwing the ball against the Niners in an attempt to snap their will.  Brees will likely continue to use every receiver he has as 8 different players caught at least 2 passes each in the season opener.  I look for Reggie Bush to be used a little more in this game as he only had 7 touches for 47 yards (6.7 avg) in the season opener.  If the Saints get a lead in this game I look for them to run the ball more often in the second half with Pierre Thomas just like last week.

When the 49ers have the ball:  The Saints have to go all out to stop Frank Gore like the Seahawks did last week.  If Gore is stopped the Saints can send a heavy blitz at Alex Smith which will force him into making big mistakes.  The Saints safeties better be ready to deal with Vernon Davis who is one of the best TEs in all of football.  He is by far the best receiver on the team as WRs Michael Crabtree and Josh Morgan don’t scare anyone.

PREDICTION:  SAINTS 30, 49ers 17

This game certainly didn’t go the way I thought it would last night as it was a defensive struggle for both teams.  Drew Brees took the Saints right down the field the first time they had the ball resulting in a TD pass for Devery Henderson.  But then the Vikings’ D adjusted until the Saints had a nice drive resulting in a TD in the 3rd quarter.  Saints’ kicker Garrett Hartley also missed two field goals which also help keep the Vikings in this game.  Drew Brees finished this game up by completing 27 of 36 passes (75%) for 237 yards with 1 TD pass.  Pierre Thomas really came alive in the second half last night as he carried the ball 19 times for 71 yards (3.7 ypc) with 1 TD run and he also caught 3 passes for 15 yards (5.0 avg).  Thomas really helped the Saints grind out the clock last night.  Reggie Bush was more of a decoy last night as he carried the ball 2 times for 14 yards (7.0 ypc) and he also caught 5 passes for 33 yards (6.6 avg).  WRs Marques Colston (5 rec, 62 yards) and Devery Henderson (2 rec, 38 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Saints last night as Drew Brees was spreading the ball around quite a bit last night.  The Saints finished up with 79 yards rushing (3.2 ypc) and they also completed 27 of 36 passes (75%) for 229 yards as they had possession of the ball for 33:43.

The defense was outstanding for the Saints last night.  They were blitzing Favre a lot which caused him to make some mistakes.  The Saints also benefitted from the Vikings pretty much abandoning the running game in the second half as Adrian Peterson was looking pretty good.  LBs Scott Shanle (7 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss) and JoLonn Dunbar (7 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss) led the way for the Saints’ D last night.  CB Jabari Greer also made a lot of plays last night as he finished up with 5 tackles, 2 passes defensed and 2 tackles for a loss.  The Vikings finished up with 91 yards rushing on 23 carries (4.0 ypc) and they completed 15 of 27 passes (55.6%) for 162 yards.  The Saints are now 1-0 on the year.

The Saints have released 28-year old cornerback Leigh Torrence.  Torrence played in 5 games for the Saints last year and he had 10 tackles and 1/2 a sack.  He played in 12 games (0 starts) in his two years with the Saints and he had 19 tackles, 1/2 a sack and 2 passes defensed.  The Saints won’t miss Torrence too much as they are set up pretty well in the secondary.

UPDATE:  (9/15/2010) – The Saints have re-signed Leigh Torrence.