- The Atlanta Falcons will be without their starting left guard, Andy Levitre, on Thursday. Levitre left during the first quarter of the Week 13 game against the Minnesota Vikings with a partially torn triceps. Levitre has the most experience at the guard position with nine years under his belt. The team will look to four-year veteran Ben Garland to play left guard against the New Orleans Saints. Galand played 80 percent of the snaps after Levitre's exit last Sunday.
- Atlanta has struggled with injuries at cornerback. Desmond Trufant, a starter, was out last Sunday with a concussion, but is expected to return against the Saints. Brian Poole will be out with a back injury for the second week in a row. The Falcons signed cornerback Leon McFadden from the Dallas Cowboys practice squad on Monday, Dec. 4, and waived running back Terrence Magee in order to create depth at the position.
- Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan was named the 2016-2017 NFL MVP and Offensive Player of the Year by The Associated Press after completing 69.9 percent of his passes for 4,944 yards, with 38 touchdowns and a 117.1 passer rating. This season, Ryan is ranked No. 12 in completion percentage at 66.7 (260 of 390).
- Wide receiver Julio Jones finished second in the NFL and led the NFC with 1,409 receiving yards in 2016. This season, Jones is ranked No. 3 among wide receivers in yards per game with 88.6.
- Atlanta, which competed in Super Bowl LI, currently sits at 7-5, which is third in the NFC South behind the Saints and Carolina Panthers. The Falcons hold tiebreakers over several current wild-card contenders, such as current No. 5 seed Seattle (8-4), Detroit (6-6), Green Bay (6-6) and Dallas (6-6), by virtue of victories over each of them.
- The Falcons offense ranks in the top five of the NFL in four statistical categories:
|
Yards per play |
No. 4 |
|
Passing net yards per play |
No. 4 |
|
Third down efficiency |
No. 3 |
|
Sacks per pass play |
No. 5 |
- Atlanta's defense ranks in the top 10 of the NFL in four statistical categories:
|
Total yards per game |
No. 8 |
|
Passing net yards per game |
No. 6 |
|
Passing net yards per play |
No. 3 |
|
Net yards per game differential |
No. 8 |
- New Orleans and Atlanta have competed against each other since 1967. Atlanta Falcons lead the series 51-45 with New Orleans holding a 15-7 advantage over the Falcons since 2006.
- Atlanta's starting linebacker, Deion Jones, played at both Jesuit High School and LSU. Jones ranks No. 10 among linebackers with 96 combined tackles. Jones also has one sack, seven passes defensed and an interception.
Check out the Saints battle the Falcons in their final game of the 2016 season.
1 / 112
2 / 112
3 / 112
4 / 112
5 / 112
6 / 112
7 / 112
8 / 112
9 / 112
10 / 112
11 / 112
12 / 112
13 / 112
14 / 112
15 / 112
16 / 112
17 / 112
18 / 112
19 / 112
20 / 112
21 / 112
22 / 112
23 / 112
24 / 112
25 / 112
26 / 112
27 / 112
28 / 112
29 / 112
30 / 112
31 / 112
32 / 112
33 / 112
34 / 112
35 / 112
36 / 112
37 / 112
38 / 112
39 / 112
40 / 112
41 / 112
42 / 112
43 / 112
44 / 112
45 / 112
46 / 112
47 / 112
48 / 112
49 / 112
50 / 112
51 / 112
52 / 112
53 / 112
54 / 112
55 / 112
56 / 112
57 / 112
58 / 112
59 / 112
60 / 112
61 / 112
62 / 112
63 / 112
64 / 112
65 / 112
66 / 112
67 / 112
68 / 112
69 / 112
70 / 112
71 / 112
72 / 112
73 / 112
74 / 112
75 / 112
76 / 112
77 / 112
78 / 112
79 / 112
80 / 112
81 / 112
82 / 112
83 / 112
84 / 112
85 / 112
86 / 112
87 / 112
88 / 112
89 / 112
90 / 112
91 / 112
92 / 112
93 / 112
94 / 112
95 / 112
96 / 112
97 / 112
98 / 112
99 / 112
100 / 112
101 / 112
102 / 112
103 / 112
104 / 112
105 / 112
106 / 112
107 / 112
108 / 112
109 / 112
110 / 112
111 / 112
112 / 112
Advertising
This Ad will close in 3
