Brees has now thrown 29 touchdown passes and just two interceptions this year. He found an array of unheralded targets as New Orleans dominated the Thanksgiving nightcap 31-17, tossing scores to undrafted receivers Dan Arnold, Tommylee Lewis, Austin Carr and Keith Kirkwood.
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Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan could not match up with Brees in their 21st career meeting. He lost a fumble and threw an interception, while his receivers fumbled twice.
New Orleans built a 24-3 lead by the third quarter and never appeared in trouble from there.
Sporting News provided live scoring updates and highlights from Falcons vs. Saints. Here’s how New Orleans won:
Falcons vs. Saints: Score, result, highlights
Saints : 31Falcons : 17
(All times ET)
11:17 p.m. — Final: Saints 31, Falcons 17.
11:12 p.m. — TOUCHDOWN, Falcons. Tevin Coleman catches a garbage-time score. 31-17, Saints.
10:58 p.m. — Fumble. Ridley looked like he was about to score after making a catch in the red zone. Instead, he fumbled.
10:46 p.m. — TOUCHDOWN, Saints. Keith Kirkwood catches the touchdown. 31-10, Saints.
10:42 p.m. — Interception! Just as it seemed Atlanta might have a comeback brewing, Ryan had a pass tipped at the line and intercepted.
10:33 p.m. — End of third quarter.
10:28 p.m. — TOUCHDOWN, Falcons. Ridley scores on fourth-and-goal. 24-10, Saints.
10:25 p.m. — Ryan rolls out of the pocket and hits Ridley for a 50-yard gain.
10:15 p.m. — TOUCHDOWN, Saints. Arnold makes the touchdown reception this time. The Falcons might not be capable of coming back from this. 24-3, Saints.
10:04 p.m. — Still no scoring four minutes into the third quarter. New Orleans just punted the ball back to Atlanta.
9:53 p.m. — The second half gets underway with a nice kickoff return for the Falcons.
9:39 p.m. — Halftime.
9:38 p.m. — Fumble. Crushing play for the Falcons. Julio Jones took a big hit and fumbled after making a catch over the middle.
9:33 p.m. — The Falcons convert fourth-and-7 near midfield. That was gutsy.
9:23 p.m. — TOUCHDOWN, Saints. Brees finds Austin Carr for an easy score. 17-3, Saints.
9:15 p.m. — On third down, Ryan drops a great throw into the path of Calvin Ridley, but Ridley can’t haul it in. Atlanta punts it away.
9:09 p.m. — FIELD GOAL, Saints. Wil Lutz connects from 22 yards out. 10-3, Saints.
8:58 p.m. — End of first quarter.
8:51 p.m. — FIELD GOAL, Falcons. Atlanta turns the takeaway into three points. 7-3, Saints.
8:43 p.m. — Brees throws a pick! That’s just his second interception of the season.
8:38 p.m. — Ryan fumbles it in the red zone, and the Saints recover. That’s a crucial momentum swing.
8:36 p.m. — Matt Ryan hits Mohamed Sanu for a big completion!
8:28 p.m. — TOUCHDOWN, Saints. That was fast. Tommylee Lewis snags a 28-yard score. 7-0, Saints.
8:24 p.m. — Running back Alvin Kamara gashes the Falcons defense for 18 yards on the first play of the game.
8:23 p.m. — Kickoff.
8:20 p.m. — The Falcons win the coin toss and defer. New Orleans begins with possession.