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New Orleans, LA (SportsNetwork.com) - Matt Ryan threw for 322 yards and the Atlanta Falcons maligned defense rose to the occasion in a season-saving 30-14 victory over New Orleans that dropped the erratic Saints out of the NFC South race. Entering this critical divisional showdown ranked at the bottom of the NFL in total defense, pass defense and sacks, the Falcons put forth their best effort of the year on that side of the ball to set up a winner-take-all matchup with Carolina for the NFC South crown next Sunday at the Georgia Dome. Atlanta (6-9) held the Saints to 328 total yards and came up with five sacks and four takeaways, including a pivotal fumble from Jimmy Graham at the goal line early in the fourth quarter and Osi Umenyioras 86-yard fumble return touchdown on the final play. Im so proud of the effort they gave and the way they executed out there, said Ryan of the defense. They were the reason we got it done today. Ryan did his part as well, completing a sharp 30-of-40 passes with a touchdown and no turnovers. Julio Jones racked up 107 yards on seven catches after not practicing the entire week due to a hip injury. Drew Brees finished 30-of-47 for 313 yards and a touchdown to Graham, but was intercepted twice in the loss, the fifth straight at the Superdome for New Orleans (6-9). You have to be able to convert third downs. You have to go make some plays, said Brees. I know we missed some big-play opportunities in the passing game. You just have to sustain drives. We just havent been able to do that at home those two times. Brees second pick all but sealed the Saints fate. After New Orleans got the ball back at its own 10-yard line down just 20-14 with 2:40 left, Falcons cornerback Robert McClain jumped a route and snared the quarterbacks short pass intended for Nick Toon to place Atlanta deep in enemy territory. The turnover led to Matt Bryants third field goal of the day, a 32-yarder with 1:56 to go. It was a big-time play, said Falcons head coach Mike Smith of the interception. (McClain) got a great jump on the ball. Roberts continued to improve all season long. I know that some people had talked about him not making plays. He made the play when we needed the play made. The Saints managed to move inside the Atlanta 10 with time winding down, but the last-ditch effort turned into disaster when Kroy Biermann jarred the ball loose from Brees and Umenyiora scooped up the fumble before taking it the other way right as the clock expired. Atlanta also was able to withstand a brutal start to the game, as the Saints Jalen Saunders returned the opening kickoff 99 yards to the 1-yard line and Mark Ingram powered across the goal line on the next play, giving New Orleans a 7-0 edge a mere 20 seconds in. Those were the Saints lone two highlights of the first half, as the offense generated a paltry 78 yards over the initial two quarters with the Falcons dominating the line of scrimmage. Brees was intercepted once and sacked three times, one on a second-quarter blitz from safety Dwight Lowery that took the team out of field goal range. Atlanta countered Ingrams quick score with Bryants 44-yard field goal on its first possession, set up by Ryans 36-yard strike to Devonta Freeman on a wheel route out of the backfield. The Falcons went three-and-out on their next two series, but a pair of Roddy White catches totaling 26 yards on Atlantas subsequent trek led to Bryant booting a 50-yard field goal that cut the lead to 7-6 early in the second quarter. Following another New Orleans punt, the Falcons put together their longest drive of the season -- a 15-play, 89-yard march in which Ryan completed nine passes and converted three third-down situations. The last, a 24-yard delivery to Jones on 3rd-and-10, put the ball on the 3- yard line with eight seconds on the first-half clock. Ryan then hit Eric Weems with a shovel toss on the ensuing snap to send Atlanta into the break owning a 13-7 advantage. An 86-yard drive that took just seven plays extended the Falcons margin in the third quarter, with Freeman capping the sequence by side-stepping a defender near the line of scrimmage and taking off for a 31-yard touchdown with 5:42 left in the period. Brees got the Saints into the red zone on the following possession, which came up empty as well when Graham was stood up by Dezmen Southward at the goal line on a 12-yard reception and Kemal Ishmael ripped the ball out of the star tight ends hands. Did I think it was a score? Yes, said Saints head coach Sean Payton of the play. The one look we had as they continued to show it looked pretty clear, and yet, it is what it is. They go back to New York now with that and its disappointing. New Orleans did put up points on its next series, driving nearly the entire length of the field and trimming the deficit to 20-14 when Graham came down with Brees 4-yard back-shoulder throw with 5:48 left to play. Game Notes The Falcons came in just 1-5 against New Orleans at the Superdome under Smith, while Brees owned a 7-1 mark versus Atlanta at home ... The Saints had won a franchise-record 11 straight home games prior to its present slide ... Atlanta running back Steven Jackson did not return from a quad injury sustained in the second quarter, with safety William Moore (shoulder) exiting for the Falcons in the third quarter ... Saints running back Pierre Thomas was forced from the contest in the second quarter with a foot injury ... Atlanta entered the game having recorded just 16 sacks through its first 14 outings ... Ryan threw for a franchise-record 448 yards and three touchdowns in the teams Week 1 meeting, a 37-34 Atlanta victory in overtime. Air Max Günstig Bestellen . Quarterback Drew Willy appeared to injure his throwing hand on the third last play of practice Thursday. Air Max 97 Günstig Kaufen . Keenum will make his first appearance in a regular-season game against the rugged defence of the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, where the fans just set a Guinness record as the noisiest outdoor stadium in the world. http://www.shopairmaxschweiz.com/vaporma...lus-billig.html. - Pierre-Maxime Poudrier scored twice and added an assist, and Antoine Bibeau made 43 saves as the Val-dOr Foreur downed the Baie-Comeau Drakkar 6-3 on Sunday to force Game 7 in their Quebec Major Junior Hockey League final series. Vapormax Plus Günstig . Now, Sarah Burkes legacy will live on in Canadas Sports Hall of Fame. Burke, who tragically died at age 29 from a training accident in 2012, headlined the 2014 class named for induction Wednesday. Nike Air Max 270 Schwarz Günstig . Charlottetown scored four times in the third period en route to a 5-2 win over the defending champion Halifax Mooseheads on Friday.PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- Canadian Erik Bedard pitched into the fifth inning in his bid to win a spot in Tampa Bays rotation, helping the Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-3 on Saturday. Bedard, from Navan, Ont., allowed three runs and six hits in 4 1-3 innings. The left-hander is competing with Jake Odorizzi and Cesar Ramos to earn the fifth starters job as a fill-in for the injured Jeremy Hellickson, whos recovering from elbow surgery and expected to miss the first six to eight weeks of the season. The 35-year-old started 26 games and was 4-12 with a 4.59 ERA in 32 appearances with the Astros last season. Through four spring appearances, including two starts, hes 2-1 with a 7.15 ERA. Rays manager Joe Maddon reiterated that the decision on the No. 5 starter will not be based on statistics alone. "Thats good because the ERA isnt good now," Bedard said. "Every teams different. Sometimes they look at that and some teams dont," the former Orioles and Mariners pitcher added. "They know its spring and youre working on your stuff and just getting ready for the season." Mikie Mahtook hit a grand slam and Evan Longoria added a RBI single off Blue Jays starter Sean Nolin, who allowed five second-inning runs. Four Tampa Bay relievers -- Brandon Gomes, Grant Balfour, Joel Peralta and Brad Boxberger -- combined to hold the Blue Jays hitless over the final 4 2-3 innings. Kevin Pillar had a RBI triple off Bedard, then scored on the leftys wild pitch for a 2-0 Toronto lead in the second. "The pitching was spectacular," Rays manager Joe Maddon said, noting that Gomes, whose ERA remained at 0.00, was exceptionally sharp in 1 2-3 innings. "He cant throw any better than he is right now," Maddon added. STARTING TIME Blue Jays: Nolin began with a perfect first, then walked three and allowed five hits during Tampa Bays five-run second. His spring training ERA ballooned fromm 4.dddddddddddd91 to 11.81 after the 1 2-3 inning outing. Rays: Maddon said Bedard, Odorizzi and Ramos likely will all have at least one more appearance before a decision is made on the fifth starter. "Theyre all three in the running," Maddon said, declining to say who has the inside track. Bedard is trying to keep the competition in perspective. "Im not really worried. Ill just do what I can, and the decisions theirs," Bedard said. "Theyll do what they want, and thats fine with me." TRAINERS ROOM OF Wil Myers fouled a pitch off his right quad muscle during the Rays split-squad game against the Pirates in Bradenton and was removed from the lineup for precautionary reasons. Rays RH Juan Carlos Oviedo has resolved visa issues in the Dominican Republic and reported to camp Saturday. The former Royals and Marlins reliever spent the entire 2013 season on the disabled list recovering from Tommy John surgery. He will throw to some batters during Mondays off day, and a decision on when hell pitch in a game will be made after that. HOWS IT GOIN? Toronto infielder Ryan Goins went 0 for 3, leaving him at .171 with no extra-base hits and no RBIs in 12 spring games. He spent time at second base and shortstop against the Rays, the positions he played last season while making his major league debut. The 26-year-old Goins hit .252 with two home runs and eight RBIs for Toronto after being called up in August. Toronto manager John Gibbons said Goins might be pressing a bit. "He knows he belongs in the big leagues," Gibbons said. "Hes a young kid." NO WORRIES Most of Torontos top hitters got the day off and didnt make the 2-hour drive. Jose Bautista, Jose Reyes and Melky Cabrera were among the regulars out of the lineup. The Blue Jays havent scored more than five runs for 12 straight games against big league squads. "We havent had that big outburst yet," Gibbons said. ' ' '