Thursday Night – New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons

How about a fireworks show to kick off Thursday Night Football in December? Well, that’s exactly what we’ve got when the New Orleans Saints head to Atlanta to take on the Falcons. Drew Brees and Matt Ryan will have those defenses trembling as they fire the ball down field and start racking up the points. With the NFC South on the line, you can bet that neither of these teams will be backing down in this one

Keys to the Game

Saints

Let’s not pretend that New Orleans has the capability of slowing down the Falcons’ attack. So, we’ll focus on the other side of the ball. To compete, Drew Brees will have to be on his game and so will the receiving corps. Michael Thomas and Willie Snead will have to find ways to get open and haul in the passes when Brees drops them in. The key, though, will be Adrian Peterson. If AP can can get back to his old ways, he can help keep the Saints offense on the field and the Falcons off it. That’s going to be the best defense New Orleans can play in this one.

Falcons

Atlanta will be in the driver’s seat for this matchup from the start. They’re simply the superiorly talented team. However, you’ve still got to execute any time you’re faced with a Hall of Fame quarterback on the sideline. The Falcons would do well to establish the run game early with Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman and follow it up with some solid defensive play to get the ball back sooner than later. Keeping the defense fresh will be the key to surviving a game against Drew Brees and Adrian Peterson. A spent defense will have no shot at slowing down that duo.