<span style=""><span style="">SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2009</span>  

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (12-0) AT ATLANTA FALCONS (6-6)

SERIES
The Falcons lead the all-time regular season series between the squads, 44-36.
COACHES VS. OPP.

• New Orleans Saints Head Coach Sean Payton: 6-1
• Atlanta Falcons Head Coach Mike Smith: 1-2
  LAST WEEK
  

• The Saints won in overtime at Washington, 33-30.
• The Falcons were defeated by the Philadelphia Eagles,  34-7.
  LAST GAME
  

• 11/2/09: Falcons 27 at Saints 35. New Orleans QB Drew Brees throws for 308 yards & 2 TDs as Saints tie best start in franchise history at 7-0.
  LAST GAME AT SITE
  

• 11/9/08: Falcons 34, Saints 20. Atlanta rookie QB Matt Ryan throws for 248 yards & 2 TDs, including 67-yarder to RB Jerious Norwood, as Falcons improve to 4-0 at home.
  BROADCAST
  

• FOX (1:00 PM ET): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Pam Oliver (Field reporter). SIRIUS: 126 (NO), 153 (Atl.). XM: 103 (NO).The game can heard regionally on the Saints Radio Network (WWL 870 AM and 105.3 FM locally) with Jim Henderson handling play-by-play, Hokie Gajan serving as color analyst and Kristian Garic reporting from the Saints sidelines. A Spanish language broadcast can be heard on WFNO 830 AM with Emilio Peralta handling play-by-play and Marco Garcia serving as color analyst.
  KEY STATS LEADERS

            <span style="">PASSING</span>                 
    </span>         

• SAINTS: Brees: 271-392-3,536 (1C)-29 (1L)-10-111.3 (1L)
• FALCONS: Ryan: 206-347-2,291-16-12-80.0 OR
• Redman: 46-85-478-3-2-72.6
  RUSHING
  

• SAINTS: Pierre Thomas: 122-666-5.5-5
• FALCONS: Michael Turner: 177-864-4.9-10 (3L)
  RECEIVING
  

• SAINTS: Marques Colston: 50-854-17.1-8
• FALCONS: Tony Gonzalez (TE): 69-738-10.7-5
  OFFENSE
  

• SAINTS: 429.0 (1L)
• FALCONS: 335.8
  TAKE/GIVE
  

• SAINTS: 15 (2L)
• FALCONS: -1
  DEFENSE
  

• SAINTS: 343.9
• FALCONS: 374.4
  SACKS
  

• SAINTS: Will Smith: 10 (2C)
• FALCONS: Jonathan Babineaux, Kroy Biermann: 5    INTs
  

• SAINTS: Darren Sharper: 8 (T1L)
• FALCONS: Thomas DeCoud, Brent Grimes: 2
  PUNTING
  

• SAINTS: Thomas Morstead (R): 42.9
• FALCONS: Michael Koenen: 43.2
  KICKING
  

• SAINTS: John Carney: 89 (50/52 PAT; 13/17 FG)
• FALCONS: Matt Bryant: 1 (1/1 PAT; 0/0 FG)
  NOTES

            <span style="">SAINTS:</span>  Are 12-0 for 1st time in team history.  Clinched NFC South last week…QB DREW BREES has won 6 of 7 starts vs. Atl. since joining NO in 2006.  In past 4 vs. division, Brees has 106.8 rating.  Since 2008, Brees has started 16 games indoors & has won 13.  In those 16, he has passed for 5,217 yards (326.1 per game), 44 TDs, 13 INTs & 113.9 rating…RB-PR REGGIE BUSH aims for 4th in row vs. Atl. with TD (2 rec., 1 rush).  RB PIERRE THOMAS aims for 3rd in row vs. Atl. with rush & rec. TD.  Has 4 TDs (2 rush, 2 rec.) in past 2 meetings & 193 rush yards (96.5 per game)…WR MARQUES COLSTON has 10 rec. TDs in past 9 Dec. games.  WR ROBERT MEACHEM aims for 6th in row with TD.  Had 8 catches for 142 yards & TD last week.  Also had 44-yard FR-TD…DE WILL SMITH has 7.5 sacks in past 6.  S DARREN SHARPER has 57 INTs, 1,309 INT return yards & 9 INT-TDs since 2000, most in NFL.  

FALCONS: QB MATT RYAN is 12-1 (.923) at home. In only meeting at home vs. NO, Ryan had 134 rating. QB CHRIS REDMAN threw for 298 yards in only start vs. NO…RB MICHAEL TURNER aims for 4th in row vs. NO with rush TD. Has 27 rush TDs since joining Atl. in 2008, most in NFL. Has 360 rush yards (180 per game) in past 2 Dec. games with 20 att. RB JERIOUS NORWOOD had 67-yard TD catch in last home game vs. NO…WR RODDY WHITE has TD in 4 of past 5 vs. NO. Aims for 3rd in row vs. NO with 100 yards. TE TONY GONZALEZ has 25 catches in past 3. WR MICHAEL JENKINS aims for 6th in row vs. NO with 4 catches & 65 yards…S THOMAS DE COUD had sack with FF & DE KROY BIERMANN had FR-TD in last meeting. DE JOHN ABRAHAM had career-high 4 sacks vs. NO (11/4/01 with NYJ). DT JONATHAN BABINEAUX has 4.5 sacks in past 6 games. CB CHEVIS JACKSON had 95-yard INT-TD in last home meeting.