Not a good day for Falcons
ATLANTA – The New Orleans Saints shook off the hangover from a devastating loss. The Falcons are still trying to get over a bigger setback.
After waking to news that disgraced quarterback Michael Vick would have to serve nearly two years in prison for dogfighting, his one-time Atlanta teammates trudged through another dismal performance in a lost season.
With Reggie Bush on the sideline and reportedly done for the year, Drew Brees passed for 328 yards and three touchdowns and New Orleans gave its playoff hopes a boost with a 34-14 rout of the Falcons on Monday night.
The Saints (6-7) had no trouble getting over the disappointment of a last-minute loss to Tampa Bay a week earlier, taking advantage of a team that had to be distracted by the events in Richmond, Va., earlier in the day.
Vick was sentenced to 23 months behind bars, completing his stunning fall from NFL star to federal prison inmate.
“The team misses him and we really need him this season,” said receiver Roddy White, one of two Falcons who showed their solidarity with Vick.
Cornerback DeAngelo Hall ran on the field during pregame introductions holding up a Vick poster and had “MV7” painted beneath his eyes. After White hauled in a 33-yard touchdown pass that briefly tied the game at 7, he pulled up his jersey to reveal a T-shirt with the handwritten message “Free Mike Vick.”
Hall and White are both likely to be fined by the NFL. This was another ugly performance by the team Vick put in a bind with his off-the-field troubles.
At the management and coaching level, the Falcons (3-10) say they’re moving on without Vick. The players know it’s not that easy.
“I don’t want to say this franchise doesn’t want to acknowledge the situation, but that’s kind of the way you feel,” Hall said. “All his pictures are gone, no more jerseys, no more nothing. We just wanted to let him know we’re still thinking about him. We care about him as a human being, not just as a football player and a running quarterback.”
While Bush watched with a partially torn knee ligament, the Saints didn’t miss a beat as third-stringer Aaron Stecker ran for 100 yards on 20 carries.
“When you lose a guy like Reggie Bush, everybody has to step up,” said receiver David Patten, another of those who did just that.
Patten had nine catches for 122 yards, including an acrobatic 25-yard touchdown grab for New Orleans’ first score. Marques Colston also had nine catches for 92 yards and two TDs.
Brees shredded the Falcons with four scoring drives that covered at least 75 yards, including a 99-yarder. He should’ve had a fourth TD pass, but Eric Johnson dropped a throw in the back of the end zone with no one around.
“Throughout this season, we have shown signs of greatness,” Brees said. “We had to start some drives deep in our own territory, but we stuck with it. We had to earn every one.”
By winning, New Orleans stayed in the midst of the wild-card race and prevented Tampa Bay from clinching the division title.
“Not a good day,” Falcons coach Bobby Petrino said curtly.