Brees, Saints hold off Falcons to remain unbeaten
New Orleans, LA (Sports Network) - Drew Brees threw for 308 yards and two touchdowns, and Pierre Thomas ran for another score, as the New Orleans Saints held on to beat the Atlanta Falcons, 35-27, to remain undefeated.
Brees completed 25-of-33 passes, but was also intercepted once and lost a fumble that Kroy Biermann returned for a touchdown. Thomas ran for 91 yards on 14 carries and had a touchdown reception for New Orleans, which is off to its first 7-0 start since 1991 and gained a stranglehold on the NFC South.
With the victory, the Saints established a three-game lead over the Falcons (4-3), who have lost two in a row.
Atlanta got a big game from Michael Turner, who ran for 151 yards and a score on 20 carries, while Matt Ryan threw for 289 yards and a TD. However, Ryan completed just 19-of-42 passes and had three interceptions, one of which Jabari Greer returned for a score.
Roddy White finished with four catches for 108 yards, most of which came on a 68-yard touchdown reception.
The Falcons recovered an onside kick after Jason Elam's 40-yard field goal with 28 seconds left, but had no timeouts, and Darren Sharper intercepted Ryan's end-zone heave to seal the victory.
11/03 00:30:44 ET
