Saints defeat division rival Falcons in high-scoring overtime affair

Alyssa Sconzo

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Saints defeat division rival Falcons in high-scoring overtime affair image

The Saints beat the Falcons 43-37 in overtime on Sunday. The Falcons entered the game as the favorites to win, but a Saints touchdown with less than three minutes left in overtime made that impossible. 

Drew Brees had a huge game offensively. Not only did he surpass Brett Favre to become the NFL career completions leader, he also scored two rushing touchdowns, including the game winner, and threw for three others. ​Brees was 39-for-49 and threw for 396 yards. 

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The Saints had help on offense from Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas.The duo sparked the unit, with Kamara providing 66 rushing yards on 16 carries and 15 receptions for 124 total yards. Meanwhile, Thomas had 10 receptions for 129 yards. 

Matt Ryan was impressive for the Falcons. He was 26-for-35, threw for 374 yards and five touchdowns. He surpassed Joe Montana for the most touchdowns scored against New Orleans in NFL history. 

Calvin Ridley led the Falcons' offense with 146 yards on seven receptions and scored on three of Matt Ryan's five touchdown passes. Julio Jones was able to get 96 yards on five catches.

The Falcons will look to recover in Week 4 at home against the Bengals (2-1), who are coming off a road loss to Carolina. 

The Saints will visit New York to take on the Giants (1-2), who are no longer winless after beating the Texans 27-22.  

Sporting News provided live scoring updates and highlights from Saints vs. Falcons in Atlanta.

Saints vs. Falcons: Score, results, highlights

Saints : 43
Falcons : 37

(All times ET)

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Final: Saints 43, Falcons 37

4:41 p.m.- Saints win. Drew Brees dives into the end zone for a game-winning touchdown. Saints 43, Falcons 37

4:39 p.m.-  Alvin Kamara gets the first down at the ATL 14. Atlanta's defense is putting pressure on Brees and he throws the ball away. Thomas is down on the ATL 3 for a first down. Alvin Kamara's touchdown is overturned and he is down just in front of the end zone. 

4:30 p.m.- The Saints won the coin toss and will receive first. Taysom Hill runs the ball 23 yards to the NO 20. Brees finds Thomas for a 23-yard gain into Falcons territory. Kamara is pushed out of bounds just short of a first down on the ATL 37. 

End of fourth quarter: Saints 37, Falcons 37

4:18 p.m.- Saints will get the ball on their own 25 with only 16 seconds left in regulation. The clock will run out. The Saints and Falcons take a 37-37 tie into overtime. 

4:15 p.m.- Marvin Hill runs the punt 26 yards to the ATL 26. Ryan finds Jones for a first down. Matt Ryan is tackled and his pass is incomplete. Falcons will punt. 

4:10 p.m.- TOUCHDOWN. Taysom Hill returns the punt 18 yards to the NO 19. Ryan connects with Thomas for a gain of 14 yards. Ted Ginn Jr. runs for a 20-yard gain. The Saints are in the red zone. Hill just gets over the line for a first down on the ATL 8. Drew Brees dives into the end zone for a seven-yard touchdown run. The extra point is good. Saints 37, Falcons 37

3:54 p.m.- TOUCHDOWN and 2 PT. CONVERSION. Falcons will start on their own 25. Matt Ryan connects with Julio Jones for 58 yards, on the NO 12. The Saints defense forces a punt. Matt Bryant's 29-yard field goal attempt is good. After the field goal is called off because of a penalty, Matt Ryan connects with Mohamed Sanu for a five-yard touchdown pass. The 2-point conversion attempt is good.  Saints 30, Falcons 37

3:45 p.m.- TOUCHDOWN. Saints get the ball on their own 25. Brees finds Taysom Hill for a 35-yard gain. Alvin Kamara is down just in front of the end zone. Brees finds Zach Line for a touchdown. The extra point is good. Saints 30, Falcons 29.

3:33 p.m.- TOUCHDOWN and 2-PT. CONVERSION. Matt Ryan finds Tevin Coleman for a five-yard touchdown. The Falcons will attempt a 2-point conversion. Ryan's pass to Hooper is caught in the end zone for a successful 2-point conversion.  Saints 23, Falcons 29

End of third quarter: Saints 23, Falcons 21

3:27 p.m.- Marvin Hall returns the punt to the ATL 18. After an offensive holding penalty, Ryan finds Julio Jones for an 11-yard gain. Paulsen gets the Falcons within the red zone with an 11-yard reception. End of the third quarter. 

3:17 p.m.-  TOUCHDOWN. Brees finds Michael Thomas for a first down. Cameron Meredith catches an 11-yard touchdown pass from Brees. The extra point is good. Saints 23, Falcons 21.

3:10 p.m.- Matt Bosher's punt is blocked by Alex Okafor and New Orleans will get the ball on the ATL 16.

3:08 p.m.- There is a face mask penalty on Hardee on the punt. Atlanta is unable to score and will punt. 

3:04 p.m.- Saints get the ball on their own 25. Drew Brees is sacked and the Falcons' defense forces a punt.  

2:56 p.m.- TOUCHDOWN.  Defensive pass interference on a long pass to Calvin Ridley. Patrick Robinson was injured on the play. Ryan finds Ridley once again for a nine-yard touchdown pass. The extra point Bryant is good. Saints 16, Falcons 21.

Halftime: Saints 16, Falcons 14

2:32 p.m.- TOUCHDOWN. The Falcons will get the ball on their own 25. The clock runs out. The Saints have a 2-point lead at halftime. 

2:30 p.m.- FIELD GOAL.  Saints are on the Atlanta 27 after a 19-yard pass to Ben Watson. Wil Lutz's 45-yard field goal attempt is good. Saints 16, Falcons 14. 

2:26 p.m.- The Falcons go three and out. The Saints get the ball on their own 42. Matt Ryan has passed Joe Montana for the most touchdowns against New Orleans. 

2:22 p.m.-  The ball is on the New Orleans 44 after a 21-yard pass to Alvin Kamara. Brees' pass to Ginn Jr. is incomplete. The Saints will punt. The Falcons get the ball on their own 9. 

2:15 p.m.- TOUCHDOWN. Calvin RIdley catches a 75-yard touchdown pass from Ryan. The extra point is good. The Falcons take the lead. Saints 13, Falcons 14.

2:11 p.m.- FIELD GOAL.  Drew Brees has surpassed Brett Favre for most completions in NFL history. The Saints are in the red zone after a deep 27-yard pass to Ben Watson. The Saints fail to find the end zone. Will Lutz 21-yard attempt is good. Saints 13, Falcons 7 . 

2:05 p.m.- Matt Ryan's deep pass to Calvin Ridley is incompete. The Falcons will punt. 

1:57 p.m.- FIELD GOAL. Alvin Kamara returns the punt to the New Orleans 38 for 10 yards. Austin Carr catches a 25-yard pass from Brees' for a first down. There is an offensive holding penalty on Ben Watson and Brees' pass to Ginn Jr. is incomplete. Lutz 49-yard field goal is good. Drew Brees has tied the NFL record for completions. Saints 10, Falcons 7. 

1:45 p.m.- Matt Ryan is sacked on 3rd and 6. The Falcons will punt. 

End of first quarter: Saints 7, Falcons 7

1:40 p.m.- The Saints go three and out to end the first quarter. The score is even at 7. 

1:34 p.m.- TOUCHDOWN. Matt Ryan finds Julio Jones for the first down at the ATL 33. Calvin Ridley caught a 10-yard pass on third down to give the Falcons a first down. Calvin Ridley catches an 18-yard TD pass from Ryan. The extra points is good. Saints 7, Falcons 7. 

1:25 p.m.- Atlanta gets the ball on its own 19. 

1:20 p.m.- Drew Brees completes a pass to Ben Watson, just short of a first down. The Saints will punt. 

1:15 p.m.- The Falcons go three and out. The Saints get ball on their own 21. 

1:08 p.m.- TOUCHDOWN. Michael Thomas opens the game with a 35-yard reception. The Saints' first three plays result in first downs. Drew Brees connects with Ted Ginn Jr. for a 4-yard touchdown pass. The extra point is good. Saints 7, Falcons 0. 

1:03 p.m.- The Saints receive the kickoff. The game is underway. 

Alyssa Sconzo