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By Pat Yasinskas

NEW ORLEANS — The fine folks at ESPN Stats & Information just passed along some stuff on the Falcons’ 27-24 overtime victory Sunday. Let’s run through some of the highlights.

• Atlanta got the ball twice in overtime and the series had different approaches and different results. On the first series, which was three and out, the Falcons tried to do it through the air. Matt Ryan just missed a wide-open Harry Douglas on the first play and was sacked on third down. The Falcons ran the ball on second down. On the second drive, they ran the ball a lot. Using two backs on every one of 12 plays, the Falcons ran 10 times. They produced four first downs and 59 yards to set up Matt Bryant’s game-winning field goal.

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By Pat Yasinskas

With Reggie Bush out for the forseeable future, the New Orleans Saints are scrambling to adjust their situation at running back.

The team has signed veteran Ladell Betts, who they cut in the preseason. Betts is coming off a serious knee injury, but he did show a little promise in his preseason appearances. The Saints also released running back DeShawn Wynn, but he could be brought to the practice squad. The team also has Chris Ivory, who has yet to play this season because of an injury.

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By Pat Yasinskas

Although I personally think being without injured running back Reggie Bush for approximately six weeks is going to have a huge impact on the Saints, the numbers say otherwise. Let’s turn to ESPN Stats & Information for a little breakdown of the Saints without Bush.

Over the three previous seasons, the Saints have played 12 games without Bush. In those games, they went 8-4 and have averaged 33.4 points a game. Last season, they played two games without Bush. They won them both and averaged 38 points a game.

In 2008, Bush missed six games. The Saints went 4-2 and averaged 35.2 points per game. One other encouraging piece of information to look at here is that the Saints aren’t exactly facing a lineup of super teams the next six weeks.

They host Atlanta on Sunday and that figures to be a very difficult game. But after that, three of their next four opponents (Carolina, Arizona and Cleveland) are 0-2 right now. The other two teams the Saints face in that six-week stretch are Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh.

Story from Pat’s blog on ESPN

By Pat Yasinskas

The early reports are that New Orleans running back Reggie Bush has a fractured right fibula. Reports are he could be out for somewhere from around four to six weeks.

To get a better read of exactly what this means to the Saints, I turned to Scouts Inc. guru Matt Williamson.

The Saints don't really have a player who can make up for Reggie Bush's versatility on offense.

“This is not good news for a guy whose whole game is based on his speed and quickness,’’ Williamson said. “He’s had leg injuries before and he’s never been a quick healer. Even when he’s come back, it generally has been at least a couple of games before he really gets into a rhythm. It’s really too bad because, going back to last year’s playoffs, through the preseason and into the start of the regular season, he was looking healthier than he had in a long time and he was running very well. This is going to hurt the Saints in a lot of ways.’’

Williamson said there’s no one person who can step in and replace Bush, who is used as a running back, receiver and a return man.

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SAN FRANCISCO — New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush has a fractured fibula in his right leg, sources tell ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

The injury is not expected to end Bush’s season, sources said, indicating he could return in four to six weeks. More tests were scheduled for Tuesday.

Bush had to leave Monday night’s 25-22 victory over San Francisco in the fourth quarter. Bush, who said he would likely get X-rays after the team returned to New Orleans, had an ice bag wrapped around his right leg in the locker room and was using crutches to get around.

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By Pat Yasinskas

If you want to know what champions are made of, look no further than the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints.

They took everything the San Francisco 49ers could throw out them Monday night and the 49ers played just about as good a game as they could have. It didn’t matter because the Saints are the better team and they were going to do whatever it took to win, 25-22, on a last-second field goal by Garrett Hartley.

That’s exactly what happened after the 49ers tied the game at 22 with one minute, 19 seconds left. Then, with the wind literally at his back, Drew Brees did exactly what he did last year — when the wind was symbolically at his back — all the way to the Super Bowl.

Although he hadn’t been his usual precise self much of the night, Brees was a machine on the final drive. His back-shoulder pass to Marques Colston to set up the field goal was a thing of beauty. Hartley’s field goal wasn’t a work of art, but the kick made it through the uprights and the Saints are 2-0.

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”It doesn’t matter if he gives it back. Everyone still knows Reggie Bush was the best player that year. Look at the runs. He was clearly the best player. O.J. Simpson got accused of a murder and they didn’t take his back. That was a far greater allegation, and they didn’t find O.J. guilty on that.” — Johnny Rodgers, 1972 Heisman winner from Nebraska

”I don’t think he should’ve gave his Heisman away. They should’ve stripped it away because he worked hard for that. I think it’s a shame that it’s come to this for Reggie. Unfortunately they found out a lot of this information after the fact, after he had so much success on the field, and you’re looking at five years later he’s giving the trophy back. My only concern now is what happens if they find out that in the 1950s a booster bought a player a cup of coffee?” — Eddie George, 1995 Heisman winner from Ohio State

Read the rest of the story here.

Giving up the Heisman Trophy is one thing, but the former USC star has yet to apologize to the Trojans family.