Atlanta Falcons hosted New Orleans Saints in the NFL NFC South clash, looking to improve on their 10-1 record.
The Falcons went into a quick 17-point lead before the Saints finally found their feet to pull back to 13-17.
However, the Falcons had a strong final quarter to see out the game for their 11th win from 12.
See how the action unfolded below with Sports Mole's live text commentary.
Hello and thanks for joining me for what is billed to be an exciting NFL clash tonight.
The rivalry between the Saints and the Falcons has been hotting up since New Orleans's win over Atlanta three weeks ago.
On Wednesday when the Saints arrived in Georgia they were pelted with eggs by workers at Atlanta airport as they boarded the team bus!
Atlanta, clear leaders of the NFC, can qualify for the playoffs tonight if they win and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers do not beat the Denver Broncos.
For Saints, their 5-6 record leaves them with a lot of work to do to make the playoffs. It's possible, but they do need to win here in truth.
Drew Brees, Saints quarterback, admitted as much in the build-up to this game: "The margin for error is very slight right now. We've kind of used up our nine lives. So we've got to really bear down here and just understand what's at stake every time we step on the field."
So as mentioned, the Falcons are running away with the conference and the division this season, but really it is their defence that has impressed the most. In a high-scoring NFC South both the Buccaneers and the Saints have outscored Atlanta, but their resilience means they are still up by 78 net points.
Just before we start, here's the list of inactives for both sides.
Saints: Shanle, D. Thomas, Brown, Galette, Abdul-Quddus, Roby, Johnson
Falcons: Davis, Toone, Mitchell, Manley, Gunn, Sidbury, Jerry
All Saints running backs, Ivory, Ingram, Thomas, Sproles, Cadet, are active for this game.
We're underway! Saints kick to the 20.
HUGE 35 yard running play for Falcons after gaining eight yards on the first down. Michael Turner cuts deep into the Saints.
Jacquizz Rodgers makes the five yards before making a full 15 yards on first down to set up first & goal on the three.
Atlanta strike first inside four minutes! It's another running play and Turner makes up the three yards easily.
It's 80 yards for Atlanta in just six plays as they kick the extra point.
It's as good a start as the Falcons could have wished for, as Saints line up on the 20.
Brees's first passing effort is incomplete, before making just two yards on the second down to set up 3rd & 8.
HUGE grab by Morgan! Brees hurls it deep for a 35 yard gain and first down.
Interception for Atlanta! Thomas DeCoud gathers another deep throw from Brees and Saints's first drive comes to nothing.
Rodgers gains three yards on the running play to set up 2nd & 7.
Ryan is pressured by the Saints defence and has to throw it out of play. Third and long.
Deep throw down the line towards White, who cannot gather with one hand. White wants a flag against Roberts, but the Falcons punt. Can Saints make something of their next drive?
Lance Moore runs for a loss.
Incomplete pass from Brees and it's 3rd & 14 for the visitors.
Brees launches to Marques Colston and it's first down.
Moore makes six yards on the run through the middle.
Short gain sets up 3rd & short. Rees goes for the long pass but goes behind his receiver Colston. They have to punt and a second drive comes to nothing. A good punt, Falcons now must start from behind their own 10 yard line.
Turner runs again and makes up the full 10 yards on first down.
Turner yet again tearing into the Saints defence. He makes 12 yards and set up the third straight first down.
Incomplete pass by Hill, followed by a deep pass that is swatted away. Third & long now.
Julio Jones cannot reel it in and the Falcons will have to punt. Somehow Sproles clatters into his own man Robinson, who eventually makes up a few yards.
Ingram makes five yards with a running play.
Three more yards squeezed out to set up 3rd & short.
Brees throws incomplete and Saints are still unable to cause any damage. There's a flag on the play after the punt.
Falcons get an extra five yards for a Saints player out of bounds, which means they start from inside the opponents' half. Ryan throws for eight yards.
The yards are made up then Jones catches a medium throw from Ryan to end the quarter with a first down deep in Saints territory with the score Saints 0-7 Falcons.
A run for a yard loss on the first play in the second quarter.
A 17-yard touchdown for Falcons! Tony Gonzales catches cleanly with a good leap.
The extra point is good and the Falcons are completely in control here! That was Gonzales's 71st reception of the season. In week 13 that's some achievement.
The return is only to around the 14-yard line, leaving the Saints with 86 yards to score. They make 12 straight away.
Three yards gained on the run.
HUGE hit from Robinson to force Saints into a three-yard loss for 3rd & long. And now a five-yard penalty...
Brees is almost sacked and eventually throws incomplete for 4th & 15. Time to punt again.
A decent punt puts Falcons back 53 yards to around their 30. They still look poor in offence New Orleans.
Turner only gains a couple of yards on first down for his 68th yard of the night! 11.3 average so far.
Ryan looks for White, who should probably gather but it's incomplete.
Short pass, but only seven yards are gained and Falcons will punt at 4th & 1.
It's a great return down the line for an extra 15 or so yards for the Saints. They'll start their drive a little closer to the Falcons half than they have so far.
INTERCEPTION! Wetherspoon pips the ball and Falcons start again from the 29.
Turner makes a couple of yards. Nine minutes of the half left.
Ryan goes incomplete after being pressured by a Saints blitz. Third and long.
Ryan throws out of bounds and Falcons will have to settle for a field goal attempt.
The 45-yard kick from Matt Bryant is good and the lead is extended to Saints 0-17 Falcons.
The kick is very long and Saints will restart from the 20. What can they manage with this drive? So far, Falcons defence has dominated.
Just a yard gained on the run, but already better than the last drive!
Deep Brees throw palmed down for a 3rd & long.
HUGE play for Saints. Brees throws deep and Lance Moore jumps between two defenders to hang on.
Another couple of yards gained for 2nd & 8.
Brees goes long again and this time Joseph Morgan for Atlanta is there to jump and tap the ball away. It'll be 3rd & long now.
Brees is almost blitzed but squirms free to throw for first down.
A yard gained with a run, then a further seven to set up 3rd & 2.
Brees dips right and goes for the endzone. It's incomplete but no matter, there's a defensive penalty against Atlanta and first down again for Saints.
Brees again holds off severe pressure to pick out a pass, this time down the middle.
Big running play and it's Jake Thomas who takes advantage of some excellent blocking to edge over the line. However his knee looked down just before the endzone and it might be called back to the one-yard line.
Indeed it is called back and Saints have two or three plays to make up a solitary yard. In fact it's half a yard.
Ingram dives over a wall of blocking and the call is eventually given as a saints TD. They've scored with just over three minutes to go in the half.
The kick is good and Saints have got themselves back in this before the half.
No yards gained and it's 2nd & 10.
Ryan is sacked by Jordan! His seventh of the season and it's 3rd & loooong for Falcons.
Ryan throws to Jason Snelling, who makes up 15 of the 16 yards needed. So close!
Bosher punts well, but Darren Sproles returns it well.
Brees throws all the way to the Atlanta 43 for a 28-yard gain! With just over two minute left Saints could score again before half-time.
Colston catches wide open down the middle for another big gain of 21.
Brees is under pressure and throws into the ground. 1:34 of the half left.
Sproles accelerates away and makes 12 yards for a 1st & goal with a minute left.
It was a seven-yard touchdown for Sproles... but offensive blocking has pulled it back 10 yards for a 1st & 17.
Brees finds Sproles down the middle, and it's an 11-yard gain.
Brees's throw drops short, Saints are out of timeouts and cannot get to the line in time.
Saints 7-17 Falcons! Well, that could have ended a lot better for the Saints, but Falcons were just saved by the bell.
Despite being 10 points behind at the half, Saints have managed more yards up to this point. They have 235 overall compared to the Falcons's 176 - the difference has been Atlanta's clinical start to the game.
Atlanta kick off for the second half!
Thomas runs for a couple before Colston makes his fifth reception to get the yards for first down.
Great run from Thomas! The blockers opened up a gap right through the middle and Thomas got all 10 yards in one pop.
Rees's pass well blocked by Abraham for 2nd & 10.
Brees this time finds Moore open on the left, who runs out of bounds.
Thomas through the middle again picks up 13.
Six yards gained on the ground, and it's 2nd & 4.
Brees's pass is not gathered, but it's up in the air and Atlanta cannot quite catch for an interception.
Five yard penalty for the offence... Big play here.
Sproles catches from Brees wide on the right and just gets the nine yards required for a first down.
One yard gained on the running play. Good defence Atlanta.
Brees throws once more down the middle for Jimmy Graham. Straightforward play.
Moore should be catching that in the end zone! He drops it and it's 2nd & goal...
Short throw from Brees and Saints cannot get over the line. They'll have to kick.
The kick from close is good, but it should have been so much more if Moore could have held on a moment ago. As it is, Saints are back to within seven at Saints 10-17 Falcons.
It seems ages since the Falcons last had the football. Can they create anything from this drive deep in their own half?
Turner carries five yards, before a penalty for holding brings up 2nd & 15.
Ryan's throw is incomplete and Bosher will have to punt again. Saints return to the 30.
Grubbs runs eight yards for 2nd & 2. Brees goes long and Sproles drops when he should have held it. They run the yards to reach first down.
Eight yard passing gained, with nothing doing on 2nd & 2. Brees's throw is cut out on third down.
Hartley thumps over a 52-yard field goal - the second longest of his career. It's now a four-point game at Saints 13-17 Falcons.
Ryan steps away from being sacked to throw incomplete on the first down, and again misses on 2nd and 3rd & 10.
Sproles weaves nicely to gain an extra 10 or so yards as Saints will pick up the ball around their 35. Falcons really struggling to convert first downs this quarter.
Colston catches for five yards on first down, before INTERCEPTION! Third of the game for the Falcons.
Loss of a yard on first down, before Gonzales gathers a hard, straight throw from Ryan for a fresh set of downs.
White takes a deep throw wide on the right. Five yards to the line...
Turner stopped short for a loss on first down, and another penalty against the offence for a false start puts them back a further five yards.
Ryan's throw to the end zone is incomplete and it'll be 3rd & goal at the start of the fourth. The score is Saints 13-17 Falcons.
Again incomplete and they'll kick for three more points and a seven-point lead...
It's an easy 29-yarder and Atlanta get their first points of the half. Saints 13-20 Falcons.
Five running yards gained by Thomas, but the five yards are back on the board after an offensive penalty.
Brees throws to Graham for a gain of five and then a fine falling catch from Moore sets up a first down.
Superb central throw from Brees to Graham for a first down.
A gain of nine straight up sets up a simple run for one, but Moore for the Falcons is well up to tackle the runner for a loss.
Abraham with a huge sack on Brees - he curves round and hammers into the Saints QB.
Jones catches for a gain of four on first down, then Ryan finds Gonzales in acres for a first down.
Gonzales makes another seven yards and Turner just gains the other three on second down.
Ryan's throw is touched by Hicks for an incomplete and two yards are gained on second down to set up 3rd & long.
Good play Falcons. Ryan waits and finds Jones, who had created a lot of space for himself. First down.
Gain of two on first down, but a blitz from Saints forces Ryan to thrown short for a loss of six. Third & long again.
A gain of six puts it just in range for a Bryant kick. 55 yards...
An absolutely mammoth 55-yard field goal goes over the posts. Huge in length and huge in importance - Saints are now at least two scores away at Saints 13-23 Falcons. Hard to get back into this now for Saints.
I of course mean Saints are now two scores away... refresh and all will be fine!
With less than five minutes to go, it's Hail Mary time for Saints.
Brees's first short pass is dropped so he goes longer on second down to make the yards.
Brees drops a pass short of Moore on first down and Chris Owens knocks down his second attempt. Third and long...
Brees is blitzed, gets away a throw which is intercepted! Fantastic take by Jonathan Babineaux.
That interception has surely settled the game, as it pops out of Turner's grasp and Saints break! There's confusion as there didn't appear to be a whistle to stop Saints running with the ball.
With just over two minutes left the decision is under review. Most likely scenario is a fumble but Saints to pick up from near the incident rather than the touchdown they eventually ran.
Indeed it's Saints' ball at first down instead of a TD. Fortunate for Falcons there, they should still see this out.
Central completion from Brees to Moore.
Nicholas palms down the throw on first down and then it's interception number five! Or is it?? No, Abraham was offside! Escape for Brees. Second down.
Moore came from nowhere to intercept! That one will count - fantastic from the D, and that is the fifth of the game.
A run gains four yards, before Rodgers completes the rest with a run through the middle. Final time-out used by Saints.
The hosts see out the clock and take the win! Saints 13-23 Falcons!
That's all from me! Thanks for joining me for this intriguing contest. It was full of mistakes and clever plays and ultimately the side that made the fewer errors won. Good night.
