The Saints beat the Falcons in an offensive clinic that needed overtime
If you’re a fan of offense, this game was for you.
The Falcons and Saints rivalry lived up to the hype on Sunday, after the Saints were able to pull out a victory in overtime after 60-plus minutes of an offensive clinic.
The Saints won the toss in overtime, and took a nice slow-burn of a drive that ate up plenty of clock. However, this game wasn’t going to end in a tie, as we’ve had twice previously this season.
After getting inside the five-yard line, Drew Brees found Alvin Kamara for what appeared to be the the game-winning touchdown, but it would be overturned, just short of the goal line.
.@A_kamara6 with the walk-off pic.twitter.com/mcgpk5ZQMZ
— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) September 23, 2018
Drew Brees would hop over the goal line on the next play for the game-winning score.
.@DrewBrees... FOR THE WIN! #GoSaints pic.twitter.com/cG16pAAVbC
— NFL (@NFL) September 23, 2018
Drew Brees was very Drew Brees throughout the game.
Even at 39 years old, it’s hard to expect anything less than good football from Drew Brees. He broke Brett Favre’s NFL record for most career completions during the game, eclipsing the 6,300 mark.
He also showed off his mobility, along with a spin so crisp that your washing machine is jealous:
DREW. BREES.
— NFL (@NFL) September 23, 2018
We're all tied up in Atlanta, 37-37.
: FOX #GoSaints pic.twitter.com/6jFpOSN74Z
OK, maybe not that crisp. But it did the job.
Matt Ryan had a damn good game himself.
Ryan completed 26 of his 35 passes for 374 yards and five touchdowns, a career high for finding the end zone.
One of his best career performances set a record, but in the wrong way:
Matt Ryan just put up the highest passer rating (148.1) in a loss in NFL history (min. 25 attempts).
— Scott Kacsmar (@FO_ScottKacsmar) September 23, 2018
Calvin Ridley showed why the Falcons took him in the first round.
There won’t be many complaints about Steve Sarkisian this week, at least for the time being. Calvin Ridley had a breakout game, proving himself to be a more than formidable WR2 across from Julio Jones.
His best play was this 75-yard bolt to the end zone:
BALLER ALERT
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) September 23, 2018
CALVIN RIDLEY IS GOING OFF. pic.twitter.com/UQvg5f1n8M
Things got to a point where the Saints just had to tackle him:
Man I felt that one pic.twitter.com/GtA6LedGRl
— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) September 23, 2018
The Falcons and Saints remain one of — if not the best — rivalries in the NFL.
This game only helped that argument.

