By Pat Yasinskas

ATLANTA — I’m heading downstairs for interviews and will be back with more in a bit. But first, a quick Rapid Reaction to the Saints’ 17-14 victory.

What it means: The Saints have guaranteed that the race for the NFC South title will go down to the final week of the regular season. The victory makes them 11-4, but they still trail Atlanta (12-3) by a game. The division title remains possible if the Saints win their final game and the Falcons lose. Even if that doesn’t happen and Atlanta ends up with the home-field advantage, the Saints already have shown they can win in the Georgia Dome.

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By John Manasso
FOXSportsSouth.com
Dec. 27, 2010

As much as the strategy of play-calling can be an act of intimidation, that is what Saints coach Sean Payton tries to do to an opposing defense on his team’s opening offensive drive.

The day after Atlanta head coach Mike Smith’s team defeated Seattle to clinch a playoff berth and one week before his Falcons were set to meet up with arch-rival New Orleans, Smith talked about how different it is to prepare for the Saints’ offense.

“Sean Payton is one of the most innovative offensive coaches in terms of how he packages his game plan together,” Smith said. “He forces you to use a lot of brain power, especially the first 15 to 20 plays with personnel groupings and high tempo.”

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By D. Orlando Ledbetter

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

1. Saints RB Reggie Bush vs. Falcons SLB Sean Weatherspoon: Since the Saints drafted Bush in 2006, they have posted a 7-2 mark against the Falcons. In both Atlanta victories, Bush was sidelined by injury. He missed the last game with a broken leg on Sept. 27. Ironically, Bush was out of the lineup with a knee injury when the Falcons beat them 34-20 on Nov. 9, 2008, at the Georgia Dome. The Saints will try to isolate Bush, the disgraced Heisman Trophy winner, in a mismatch with Weatherspoon, who said he is “close to 90 percent” recovered from his knee injury.

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By Pat Yasinskas

I would like to stay with the true spirit of the season and not make any harsh allegations. But I’ reading through the injury reports from New Orleans and Atlanta and starting to think the Saints and Falcons might be playing some reindeer games.

Each team put out its final injury report Saturday afternoon for Monday night’s huge NFC game and, to be brutally honest, I can’t help but wonder if both teams are going a little beyond what’s necessary.

Read the rest of Pat’s story here.

By The Associated Press

When Jimmy Graham was still a college basketball player at Miami, he got some sound career advice from people with backgrounds as divergent as university President Donna Shalala and former star quarterback Bernie Kosar.

Shalala, who attends Miami sporting events and gets to know the athletes, repeatedly urged Graham to try playing for the Hurricanes’ football team.

“I guess I was fouling so much,” Graham, a former power forward known mostly for defense and rebounding, recalled with a grin.

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By The Associated Press

New Orleans Saints (10-4) at Atlanta Falcons (12-2)

Monday, 7:30 p.m., ESPN

Opening line — Atlanta by 2

Record vs. spread — New Orleans 5-8-1; Atlanta 10-4

Series record — Falcons lead 45-37

Last meeting — Falcons beat Saints 27-24 in OT, Sept. 26, 2010

Last week — Saints lost to Ravens 30-24; Falcons beat Seahawks 34-18

Saints offense — OVERALL (6), RUSH (26), PASS (3)

Saints defense — OVERALL (9), RUSH (19T), PASS (4)

Falcons offense — OVERALL (12), RUSH (7), PASS (14)

Falcons defense — OVERALL (15), RUSH (12), PASS (20)

Read the rest of the streaks, stats and notes here.

Falcons receiver Roddy White took to Twitter on Wednesday regarding Monday night’s game against the Saints.  Though it has been rendered largely meaningless by the fact that the Falcons need only to beat the Panthers on January 2 to win the division and lock up home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, White is fired up about the fact that people are “mad for the saints.”

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