The Atlanta Falcons (5-0) head down to the Superdome to take on the New Orleans Saints (1-4) in the week six Thursday night football game.
The Falcons are looking to open their season 6-0 for the second time in the past four years and they will do so against a team that is really struggling. The Saints' only win this year came in week four against the Cowboys in overtime on a long pass play from Drew Brees to C.J. Spiller. The Saints have had their issues on the defensive side of the ball which has become a yearly thing with them but the surprising part is that they have struggled on offense.
Part of the reason for the offensive struggles is that Brees has been dealing with a shoulder injury and has clearly not been himself since sitting out the week three game. Brees has only thrown six touchdowns so far this year.
Mark Ingram leads the team in yards from scrimmage as he has more than 200 yards both rushing and receiving but the surprise of the offense has been rookie wide receiver Willie Snead. Snead has become one of Brees' favorite targets and he leads the team with 381 receiving yards through five games.
The Saints got back their best cornerback last week, Keenan Lewis, but it didn't help as they were still blown out by the Philadelphia Eagles. The Saints also recorded their first two interceptions of the season against the Eagles including one from Brandon Browner who has really struggled so far this season.
The Falcons, on the other hand, have had everything go right for them this year including an improved defense under first year head coach Dan Quinn. Cornerback Robert Alford returned an interception for a touchdown last week in an overtime victory over the Washington Redskins and the Falcons defense has been much stingier this year.
Another big change for the Falcons this year is the fact that they have a running game. Devonta Freeman has stepped in and been outstanding for Atlanta. He has over 400 yards rushing, is averaging 4.4 yards per carry and has eight touchdowns on the ground so far this year.
This team wouldn't be where they're at though without the usual suspects, Matt Ryan and Julio Jones. Jones has been unstoppable this year as he has 43 catches for 545 yards through five games but he is dealing with a hamstring injury and may not be at full speed in this game although he is expected to play.
Ryan hasn't gotten off to the best start statistically (6 touchdowns, 4 interceptions) but he has been clutch and led his team back from fourth quarter deficits in four different games already this season.
In his career Brees is 7-2 at home against the Falcons but this year he has his work cut out for him. The Falcons won in New Orleans last season but haven't won consecutive road games against the Saints in 13 seasons.
The game kicks off at 8:25 P.M. Eastern Time and for the live broadcast go here. For the Saints radio broadcast go here and for the Falcons radio broadcast head on over here.