NEW ORLEANS -- Matt Ryan and Drew Brees have gone head-to-head 13 times, with Brees winning eight of those matchups.
However, Ryan has won two in a row as his Atlanta Falcons get ready to battle the New Orleans Saints on Thursday night.
The Falcons are 5-0 and the Saints 1-4, but records tend not to mean much when these two NFC South rivals meet. Seven of the last 11 meetings have been decided by four points or fewer, with three overtime games.
Matt Ryan vs. Drew Brees
Matt Ryan missed a game in 2009 (Week 14) which Brees and the Saints won. Ryan and Brees have gone head-to-head 13 times, with Brees winning eight.
Ryan Brees
Wins 5 8
Comp pct 64.0 65.7
Yards 3,894 4,176
Yds/att 7.7 7.9
TD-Int 20-7 25-20
Sacks 18 17
Total QBR 73.8 67.4
So could it all come down to quarterback play? Absolutely. Although Ryan struggled Sunday with three interceptions and a passer rating of 55.1 against the Washington Redskins, the Saints are fully aware of his ability to pick them apart. ESPN Stats & Information notes that Ryan hasn't thrown an interception against the Saints in the last three matchups. Last season, Ryan completed 73.5 percent of his passes, averaged 385 passing yards and threw four touchdowns with no interceptions against the Saints.
"No. 1, he's extremely competitive," Saints coach Sean Payton said of Ryan. "He's always played some of his best football, it seems, in the fourth quarter. And then he's accurate. He's got enough 'escapability' that he can extend the play, find the receiver down the field. When you start putting together all the things you're looking for from a skill set, the leadership -- he's durable as well. He's doing a great job of playing the position and obviously playing it effectively late in the game. What's most important is winning, and he's doing a good job with that."
Ryan will have his top target on the field, as Julio Jones will attempt to push through hamstring and toe injuries. Ryan found a new weapon last week in tight end Jacob Tamme, who had a team-high eight catches Sunday. The Falcons also have offensive balance with the strong running of Devonta Freeman, who is punishing opposing defenses and leads the league with eight touchdowns.
The biggest concern for the Falcons might be if the offensive line can continue to stay in rhythm with James Stone stepping in at center for the injured Mike Person (ankle). The line established chemistry with Person in the lineup, so there could be a decline. Then again, the Falcons will face the league's worst defense statistically. The Saints allow 409 yards per game, surrender 28.6 points per game and have given up 11 touchdown passes with no interceptions in their last seven home games.
As for Brees, he can't be overlooked, even with his most dangerous weapon now in Seattle (Jimmy Graham). He'll likely be without receiver Marques Colston, who is doubtful with a shoulder injury. And he is expected to be without starting left tackle Terron Armstead, who has a knee injury. But Brees is a crafty veteran who still slices up coverages. He might find some soft spots in the middle of the Falcons' zone with crossing routes, or utilize the screen game. Brees isn't having as much success with the deep ball, with no touchdowns on passes thrown 20-plus yards down the field.
Defensively, the Falcons have done a solid job stopping the run, yielding a league-best 78.4 rushing yards per game. Now they have to a way to generate pressure on Brees. Through five games, the Falcons are tied for 29th in the league with just six sacks, one fewer than the Saints.
This has the potential to be a breakout game for rookie pass-rusher Vic Beasley, who has faced four Pro Bowl left tackles in five games. On Thursday, he'll go against an unproven rookie in Andrus Peat. Beasley, with two sacks and three quarterback hits, knows he needs to show up.
The Falcons don't blitz much, although one by linebacker Nate Stupar last Sunday in overtime helped create Robert Alford's game-winning interception that was returned for a touchdown. Coach Dan Quinn and defensive coordinator Richard Smith might want to consider turning up the blitz packages against Brees, who has completed just 48.6 percent of his passes with a touchdown and interception against five or more rushers this season, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
No matter how pressure is generated, it must be consistent to have success against Brees.
"He's as hard to go against as ever because he has a sense of where to go with the ball," Quinn said. "And I think that sounds so easy -- all quarterbacks know that -- but I think when you have that kind of experience and you've seen all the coverages and you've seen all the pressure and all the different looks, and he knows their routes so well, those are the things that what I see when you go against him, it's just hard as you can get."
Source : http://espn.go.com/blog/atlanta-falcons/post/_/id/16670/matt-ryan-drew-brees-makes-thursday-matchup-much-more-intriguing
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