New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons ● Sunday, December 19, 2010
Postgame Notes
*The Saints improved to 11-4, giving them back-to-back 11 win seasons for only the second time in club history, the other time being between the 1991 and 1992 seasons.
*The win clinched New Orleans a playoff berth in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1991 and 1992.
*QB Drew Brees completed 35-of-49 passes for 302 yards with one touchdown. Brees now has 35,073 passing yards as he moved past former Saint and Purdue Alum Jim Everett into 17th place on the NFL's all-time list, becoming only the league's 17th player to throw for 35,000 yards in his career.
*With his 35 completions tonight, Brees has 426 this season which marks the third straight season he has surpassed 400 completions. He is the first quarterback to accomplish the feat.
*Brees has 49 regular season wins as a Saint, moving him into a tie for first among Saints quarterbacks with Bobby Hebert.
- RB Pierre Thomas carried 19 times for 63 yards with a two-yard touchdown. He also had seven receptions for 39 yards to get over 100 yards from scrimmage.
*WR Robert Meachem led the Saints with a career-high 10 receptions for 101 yards. It was Meachem's second 100-yard performance of the season.
*G Jahri Evans made his 79th straight start, putting him past DT Bob Pollard for the second-most consecutive games opened by a Saint to start a career.
*The New Orleans defense allowed the Falcons to only convert 3-of-12 third down attempts.
*LB Jonathan Vilma's first half recovery of a fumbled snap led to a touchdown. It was Vilma's first recovery of 2010 and seventh of his career.
- LB Marvin Mitchell picked up a fumble by Falcons RB Michael Turner for his second recovery of the season to tie for the team lead with S Malcolm Jenkins and WR Courtney Roby.
- S Darren Sharper has appeared in 204 NFL games, tying him for 11th among NFL safties with former NFL safety Kevin Ross.
*K Garrett Hartley's 52-yard field goal in the first quarter was a career long.
