Live Commentary: New Orleans Saints 17-13 Atlanta Falcons - as it happened

Good morning and welcome to the live coverage of the NFL clash between the Atlanta Falcons and the New Orleans Saints.

Before the start of the season this would have been what many would have thought as a playoff place decider between two of the heavweight teams in the NFC. However, it hasn't worked out that way as the Falcons have had a terrible time of it this year and are currently 2-8 compared to the Saints' 8-2.

The Falcons' woes were compounded when they were hammered by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday as they tied Mike Smith's record in the NFC South, leaving both teams joint third. This comes just months after the Falcons were 10 yards from reaching the Super Bowl.

Two of the main reasons for their fall from grace have been injuries and a lack of depth on their roster. All-Pro wide receiver Julio Jones is out for the year and has been since week four of the season with a fractured foot. Roddy White has also been struggling with a series of hamstring injuries, leaving Matt Ryan with just two viable targets in the ageing Tony Gonzalez and Harry Douglas.

The Falcons' defense, which was never a strong point anyway, has also been poor and outbattled on so many occasions this season. Injuries have played a part as outstanding linebacker Sean Weatherspoon has just returned from over 10 weeks out while Kroy Biermann was ruled out for the year. Despite those injuries, their lack of quality depth has cost them as teams with similar and in some cases more injuries, such as the Green Bay Packers, and Chicago Bears have stayed competitive even without key players.

One man you don't want to show any defensive weaknesses to at the moment is Drew Brees, who is in red-hot form. He's having another fantastic season throwing for 26 touchdowns to just eight interceptions, with a passer rating over 100. His yardage is down but that is a good thing for him as he is getting help from his run game as Mark Ingram has come on in recent weeks to support Pierre Thomas and Darren Sproles.

That three-headed monster at running back was the basis for their success in the 2009 season when they won the Super Bowl and defensively they look stout as well as Rob Ryan at defensive coordinator has got his players playing physical football. A season-ending injury to starting cornerback Jabari Greer may weaken them somewhat but the amount of pressure the Saints are generating on the passer at the moment will help anyone, possibly Corey White, fill the void.

The effect Sean Payton has had on his team shouldn't be underestimated as well after he missed the 2012 season due to a suspension following the Bountygate scandal. He has his team fired up every week and they look as good as anyone to compete deep into January in the NFC this season.

FALCONS INACTIVES: Goodman, Gaither, Gunn, Ishmael, Locklear, Robiskie, Vaughan

SAINTS INACTIVES: Sproles, Evans, Griffin, Toon, Wade, Walker, Aubdul-Quddus

No real surprises from the Falcons inactives list but the Saints have been dealt a blow as Darren Sproles is out knee/ankle injury while All-Pro guard Jahri Evans is also missing. Nick Toon is a healthy scratch after playing the last few weeks but appears the numbers at his position have forced him out.

Bryant kicks the ball out of the endzone and Brees will start at the 20.

The Saints begin with a three and out as Thomas gets stuffed for no gain on first and second and on third Brees fires to Graham down the sideline but he can only get five yards before he's knocked out of bounds. Morstead punts to the 24 where Ryan will start.

The Falcons move the chains as Ryan hands the ball off to Jackson and he powers through the middle on second to churn out eight yards and then gets the ball on a draw play and gets eight more to move his side to the 40.

Atlanta get a break as Jordan is penalised for roughing the passer as he strikes the head of Ryan and the Falcons get another set of downs and move forward 15 yards to move them into the Saints half of the field.

The Falcons move to the Saints' 10 as Ryan throws a screen pass to Rodgers and he sprints down the left-hand sideline for a gain of 23 yards on what was third down and one, after Jackson had gained nine yards on first and second.

The Falcons get into the endzone as Ryan hands the ball off to Jackson on the one-yard line and he dives over the pile for the score after Johnson thought he had score on a nine-yard reception but he was ruled down at the one but it didn't matter for Smith's side in the end. A good drive to start the game.

Cadet takes Bryant's kick to the 21 on the kickoff where Brees will start.

The Saints move the chains as Brees fires the ball to Graham on third down and seven on a slant route and he gets nine yards before he's hauled down by Decoud. Brees felt the heat on first and second as the Falcons got a decent rush on the quarterback, that will be key for the home side in this game.

Thomas gets the first down for the Saints this time as Brees hands the ball off to the back on third and one and he finds a huge hole to exploit and he gets 12 yards before he's brought down at the Falcons' 44.

Thomas again comes to the fore for the Saints on third down and moves the chains on a swing pass from Brees as he does well to gather the ball and sprint down the right-hand sideline for a gain of 18 yards to take his side to the Falcons' 19.

Brees this time gets the first down for his side on third and six as he fires the ball down the middle of the field to Colston who breaks off his route and sits in the zone for the 12-yard reception taking his side to the five of the Falcons. In the previous play Trufant should have picked off Brees in the endzone but he couldn't make the play as his teammate Moore bumped into him covering Graham.

Brees ensures the Saints hit right back at the Falcons as he gets them level with a touchdown pass to his tight end Watson off play-action and he loops the ball over DeCoud to his receiver who makes an athletic grab to get one foot and then his body in bounds to secure the one-yard score.

Morstead kicks the ball out of the endzone to Ryan will start at the 20.

Ryan gets his side moving immediately as he nearly gets flattened by his own lineman and he manages to escape and thrown on the run to Johnson who reels the ball in low for a 17-yard reception to move the Falcons to their 41.

The Falcons move downfield with the aid of a pass interference penalty on Johnson as White was guilty of interference to shift the Falcons to the Saints' 25 for a 31-yard gain.

The Saints get to the Ryan as Hicks breaks through the line but brings down the quarterback from the neck, which is surely a penalty but it doesn't get flagged fortunately for the Saints, who benefited from that call on Brees against the San Francisco 49ers last Sunday. On third and 16, Ryan checks down to White in the zone for 11 yards that forces Bryant into a 39-yard field goal.

Bryant knocks the field goal through the posts and hands the Falcons the lead.

Cadet takes a knee in the endzone from Bryant's kickoff so Brees will start at the 20.

Brees gets his side moving straight away as he gets space and time in the pocket and throw deep down the right-hand sideline to Colston on a comeback route for 14 yards to move the Saints to the 34.

Colston gets the pass on a short route and runs for 11 yards for the first down holding off a tackle from Trufant to get the yardage he needed before he was finally hauled down at the 45 out of bounds.

The Saints regain the lead as Brees fools the Falcons' defense with a play-action pass as all the defenders bite on the run and he throws deep down the left-hand sideline for Graham, who beats Moore on a double move and catches the ball and runs into the endzone despite the safety hanging onto to him for the 44-yard score.

Morstead kicks the ball out of the endzone so Ryan will start at the 20.

Ryan drills the ball downfield to Johnson on a slant route and he makes the catch and sprints for a 15-yard gain before he's brought down at the 38 by Jenkins after Douglas got three yards on first down with a short pass from Ryan.

Ryan throws a screen to Snelling and he gets the first down and a few more yards with the reception for 13 yards but the Falcons get backed up 15 as Trueblood commits a personal foul for a shove on Hicks. So they will have a first down at the Atlanta 38.

The Falcons fourth back of the night Smith gets the handoff on second down and three and he finds a hole through the middle of the line for an 11-yard gain to move his side over midfield to the Saints' 44.

Ryan fires the ball over the middle of the field to Johnson again on a crossing route and he gets 13 yards on the reception beating White in coverage to move the Falcons to the Saints' 28.

Johnson gets his fifth reception of the game as Ryan drills the ball to him on an out route as he beats White in coverage yet again and he gets 16 yards to move his side inside the redzone to the 10-yard line of the Saints.

The Saints take a timeout with the Falcons having third and goal at the 10-yard line following two incompletions from Ryan to Johnson and Jackson. Big moment in the game when we resume.

Ryan is forced to scramble on third and goal as no receiver is open in the endzone and he manages to get to the four-yard line but they opt not to go for it on fourth down leaving Bryant with a 24-yard field goal.

Bryant kicks the ball out of the endzone so Brees will begin at the 20.

At the two-minute warning and the Saints have gained nine yards as Brees scrambles for eight yards through the middle of the line for eight on second down leaving his side with a third and one after the break.

The Saints can't convert the third down and one as Hill drops the pass but it wouldn't have mattered anyway as there was a holding call on De La Puente. Morstead punts is taken to the 25 by McClain where Ryan will begin.

Ryan floats the ball to Gonzalez on second down and six and he makes the reception for 14 yards to move his side to their 45 with a minute left in the half.

Ryan can't move his side any further downfield and he's very lucky not to be intercepted by Jenkins on second down as Gonzalez does just enough to strip the ball from the safety as he tried to corral the catch. On third he's forced to thrown the ball away as the rush gets to him. Bosher's punt is colects at the 14 by Cadet.

The Saints have a third down and one with 19 seconds left in the half at their own 23. This maybe just a kneel down.

Or not as Thomas gets the handoff on third and he sprints up the middle of the line 18 yards to move his side to their own 41 and they use their last timeout.

Brees for some reason throws down the middle of the field for Moore who makes the reception at the Falcons' 45 but he can't get out of bounds and time runs out. Strange decision from the quarterback.

The Saints hold a slender lead at the break as they've done just enough in this game to hold the advantage as Brees has looked clinical on two of his four possessions so far in the game. The Falcons defense hasn't had much of an answer for him when he has had time throw and pick out his target and on the ground they're finding some success as well with Thomas.

The Falcons have also looked decent on offense and have taken full advantage of some poor coverage from White to find rookie receiver Johnson five times in the first half. However, as soon as they've gotten near the endzone they've looked short of ideas as apart from Jackson's one-yard run they haven't had a successful designed play. Something to think about for the offensive coordinator at the break.

Both quarterbacks have near identical stats in the first half as both have completed 14 of their 19 passes while Brees has slightly more yardage throwing for 156 yards compared to Ryan's 147, and also the Saints man has thrown for two touchdowns.

Ryan will start at the 20 as Morstead's kick sails out of the endzone.

Ryan moves the chains as he fires to Douglas on a crossing route on third and six as the receiver beats his man in coverage and makes the reception for six yards to move the Falcons to their 31.

SACKS! Ryan goes down for back-to-back sacks as Hicks drops him for a seven-yard loss then Jordan gets him for two leaving the Falcons with a third and 19 which they can only get nine yards of as Ryan hits Rodgers on a short pass and he gets tackled by several Saints defenders. Bosher's punt is caught for the fair catch by Cadet at the Saints' 24.

Brees moves the chains immediately for his side as he fires to the sideline for Stills on a comeback route for 16 yards to get the Saints to the 40 with a solid low catch at his feet.

The Falcons come up with a stop on third down and one as DeCoud manages to get his hand to pass from Brees looking for Watson down the seam after Stills and Ingram could only combine for nine yards on first and second. Morstead punts the ball into the endzone so Ryan will start at the 20.

Ryan makes a bad throw on third down and two looking for Johnson but he puts the ball on his back shoulder as the receiver runs on a crossing route but the rookie gets his hands to the ball and should come up with the grab but it falls to the turf. Bosher's punt is downed at the Saints' 22 by Alford.

The Saints get out of a huge hole on second down and 17 as Thomas reels off an 18-yard run over the left-hand side of the line as he runs through a huge gap and a block by his full back Collins and he himself stiff arms Trufant who makes an awful attempt at a tackle, to earn his side a first down at the 35.

The Saints come up big on third down again as Brees fires over the middle to Graham on a crossing route and he gets wide open and runs down the right-hand sideline. He bustles past two tackles before he finally runs out of room and is pushed out at the 29 for a 34-yard reception.

Brees makes a rare error as he fires over the middle to Meachem but it's slightly behind him allowing Trufant to break up the pass to force the incompletion on third down and six, leaving Hartley with a 41-yard field goal.

Ryan will begin at the 20 as Morstead's kick sails out of the endzone.

Ryan somehow escapes the rush from the pocket and sprints to the right and finds Jackson with a short pass and he churns out eight yards to move the chains at the 32.

Ryan finds Douglas on a crossing route as he beats his man in coverage and does enough to earn his side another set of downs with a nine-yard reception after Jackson ran through the middle on first down to gets five yards.

The Falcons manage to get another set of downs despite committing a holding penalty to set them back 10 yards but Ryan gets the yardage as he fires to Douglas for 14 on first, Gonzalez for second for four and runs for the first himself on third with a six-yard carry to move the chains at the Saints' 40.

Ryan keeps moving the chains as he fires to Douglas on second and six on a hitch route as the receiver sits down in the zone coverage to make the grab for the 10-yard reception after Gonzalez got four yards on first.

The Falcons cough up the ball in the endzone as Dawson knocks the ball loose from Johnson and White manages to jump on the ball at his side's 16-yard line to gather, in a crucial moment in the game. That was big and a really bad mistake from the receiver.

The Saints get off their own eight-yard line after a penalty as Brees drops the ball off to Thomas on a screen pass and he gets 15 yards on the pass to move the chains behind some good blocks from his offensive line.

Brees fires to his left again as he brings one of his other tight ends Hill into the game on a wheel route and he gets behind a block from Graham to get nine yards to move the chains at the Saints' 36.

The Saints keep moving as Brees fires the ball quickly to Thomas who gets yet another first down for his side with a 13-yard reception down the right-hand sideline taking them into the Atlanta side of the field at the 44.

Brees can't move his side any further as a penalty knocks them back five yards as a short pass to Cadet only yields two yards so on third he's forced to look deep but he can't connect with Meachem on a streak route as Trufant knocks the ball away. Morstead's punt is fair caught at the Atlanta nine by McClain.

Ryan manages to bounce back from taking a six-yard sack on first down, first with short completion to Jackson for five yards on a checkdown over the middle of the field and then on third and 11 he fires to White for a 13-yard reception on a crossing route to move the chains.

Ryan is pinpoint with his pass as he threads the needle with throw down the seam to Gonzalez with Lofton in coverage but the tight end does just enough to make the reception for 17 yards to move his side to the Atlanta 41.

This time Ryan does well to find Douglas on a slant over the middle of the field to move the Falcons to the Saints' 44 with a 15-yard catch beating Vaccaro in coverage.

Jackson runs through the middle of the line on second and two to earn eight yards for his side after Davis had seven on first. That shifts the Falcons to the 29-yard line.

Ryan takes his fifth sack of the night to knock his side back five yards so they have third and 15 and he throws an incompletion in the direction of Douglas, leaving Bryant with a 52-yard field goal to bring his side within a point.

Bryant sends his kick wide of the posts and Brees will take over at his own 43-yard line.

The Saints move the chain as Brees fakes the handoff to Thomas and he fires down the middle of the field to Meachem who catches the ball for a 16-yard gain at the Atlanta 36.

Thomas bursts through the middle of the line and the Falcons are forced to burn their second timeout to stop the clock as the back earned another set of downs with the 16-yard carry to take his side to the 18.

A penalty sets the Saints back to first and 20 but they should be able to all but kill the clock with a few kneel downs deep in Atlanta territory thanks to the running of Thomas earlier.

Fourth and 19, what are the Saints going to do here.

Brees runs around for a bit to kill the clock before taking a dive at the Atlanta 38.

A lot of crazy goings on as every Falcons player attempts to throw a pass but there's a flag on the play and Rodgers just runs out of bounds to end the game.

The Saints move to 9-2 in their season as they manage to grind out the win in the Georgia Dome despite a spirited effort from the Falcons. Sean Payton's side came through in the key moments in the endzone and on third down to secure the victory as the Falcons fall to 2-9 in their campaign.

Brees wasn't quite as his best but he had enough support around him to earn the win as Thomas was fantastic on the ground and as a receiver getting 130 yards of offense on his own. While Graham was his usual dominant self with one touchdown along with 100 receiving yards off just five receptions.

Ryan played well and got help from his receivers but the fumble by Johnson really cost his side with them in the redzone while the field goal miss by Bryant gave them no chance of a comeback. Ryan got killed in the pocket as his protection broke down on six occasions, which killed several drives. Smith was also negative when it came to the crunch, something he has been tarred with in the past. There's a reason why this side is 2-9.

Thanks for joining our commentary this morning, we'll be back on Sunday with all the action from the rest of week 12. Until then, goodbye.