Saints, Falcons build NFC South rivalry

ATLANTA -- No matter what Joe Horn says, the New Orleans-Atlanta rivalry is alive and well.

Actually, it's even more spirited than usual because Horn keeps trying to tear it down.

"It's not a big game," said the Saints' top receiver, all evidence to the contrary. "Atlanta is not the St. Louis Rams of old. I don't know why people keep trying to pump them up like they're the greatest team in the NFL."

Understandably, the Falcons, feeling pretty good about themselves with a five-game unbeaten streak, scoffed at Horn's assessment, especially because they won at New Orleans just three weeks ago.

"What an idiot," defensive end Patrick Kerney said, shaking his head. "Something like that makes me think, 'Hey, what color is the sky?' He makes football players as a whole look stupid."

Posturing aside, it's clear Sunday's game at the Georgia Dome could have major ramifications in the NFC South -- shaping up as the league's most difficult division -- and the playoff race in general.

The Saints (7-2) are a thrill-a-minute bunch, the only team in the league that has scored and given up at least 20 points in all its games. The Falcons (5-3-1) are one of the league's hottest teams, rebounding from a 1-3 start to win four straight, then pulling out a tie in Pittsburgh last weekend by rallying from a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit.

Atlanta and New Orleans have been playing twice a year since 1970, when they were brought together by the NFL-AFL merger. While both teams have gone through plenty of hard times, the proximity of the cities -- about an eight-hour drive -- always made this a spirited series.

Thousands of Saints fans can be counted on to make the annual trek to Atlanta. Ditto for Falcons fans heading toward the Big Easy.

"Joe hasn't been around here long enough to know it's a rivalry," Saints coach Jim Haslett said.

Ah, but Horn can't help himself when talking about the Falcons.

"Michael Vick is making that team what it is," the receiver said. "Everybody on that team and in that organization is riding on Michael Vick. Michael Vick can't make them a Super Bowl contender. Not now, not this year. Maybe down the road, yeah. But not this year."

The Falcons beg to differ. With Vick on their side, they are steadily building the sort of confidence and resilience that carried the 1998 team to its only NFC championship, the sort of confidence and resilience that was missing the last three years, when the team slumped to a 16-32 record.

"There's a different attitude in the meeting rooms, on the practice field," linebacker Keith Brooking said. "I can see it. The guys are pumped."

In that first meeting with the Saints, Atlanta squandered a nine-point lead late in the fourth quarter. But Vick quickly guided the team to Jay Feely's 47-yard field goal on the final play and a 37-35 victory.

Last week, the defense gave up a franchise-record 645 yards to the Steelers, but Atlanta still found a way to salvage the league's first tie in five years. That unusual result could be very important in the playoff race.

"It was strange," Falcons running back Warrick Dunn said. "We didn't really know how to take it. We were happy not to lose, especially coming from 17 points down. But the guys still wanted to stay on the field and play for it."

Actually, Brooking didn't mind a bit that the game ended after five quarters.

"I've never been that tired after a game," he said. "I sat at my locker for 30 minutes with my pads on. I didn't have the strength to take them off. After showering, I was trying to figure out how to walk to the bus."

The Falcons know they must tighten up their defense, which dropped from fifth to 20th in league rankings after last week's debacle. In particular, they have been way too lenient against the run, allowing an average of 165 yards in the last three games.

"We've been giving up some big plays," Brooking said. "You can't have that on defense. You're better off having a team shove it down your throat with a long drive than giving up those big plays."

The Saints have thoroughly defied the adage that a team can't win without playing solid defense. They have surrendered 371 yards (29th in the league) and 26 points (27th) per game.