Atlanta Falcons move closer to division title

NEW ORLEANS — They are far from perfect — and, if truth be told, maybe even far from mediocre — but the 6-9 Atlanta Falcons, incredibly, have the NFC South title in their sights with one game left in the season.

After routing the New Orleans Saints 30-14 Sunday at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome — completing a season sweep of the Saints, and sending New Orleans (6-9) to its fifth consecutive home loss and eliminating them from playoff contention — the Falcons can win the NFC South by defeating the Carolina Panthers (6-8-1) next Sunday in Atlanta.

Quarterback Matt Ryan completed 30 of 40 passes for 322 yards and one touchdown and Matt Bryant kicked three field goals to provide the offensive spark.

“We’ll enjoy this tonight, but we’ll be moving on (to Carolina) pretty quickly,” Ryan said. “We’ll go ahead and make sure we have a great plan for next week.”

But it was the dormant Atlanta defense — ranked dead last in the NFL after allowing nearly 410 yards per game through 14 games — that made the difference against the league’s second-best offense.

The Falcons entered the game with a league-low 16 sacks, but they got to New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees five times, harassed him consistently, intercepted him twice and forced two fumbles.

The last fumble came on the game’s final play — a strip sack by defensive end Kroy Biermann in the final seconds that defensive end Osi Umenyiora picked up and returned 86 yards for a score.

On his way to the end zone, Umenyiora turned to wave goodbye to the Saints, who were eliminated from the playoff picture.

“That’s about as bad a feeling as you could ever have,” said Brees, who threw for 313 yards but was picked off twice, including a pick by cornerback Robert McClain with 2:28 left, with the Saints trailing 20-13 to kill any chance for a comeback. “It’s disappointing to know that with two games left we controlled our own destiny.”

When rookie running back Devonta Freeman dashed 31 yards for a touchdown with 5:42 left in the third quarter, the Falcons extended their lead to 20-7.

The critical play in the game may have come on the Saints’ next series. Brees moved the Saints to a first down at the Atlanta 14, and he completed a pass near the goal line to tight end Jimmy Graham that would have put the Saints within 20-14.

As Graham pushed his way to the goal line, he was sandwiched by safeties Dezmen Southward and Kemal Ishmael, and Ishmael reached in to strip the ball from his grasp and recover the fumble. The turnover call was upheld upon video review.

Saints coach Sean Payton did not agree.

“It’s something you can’t control,” Payton said. “There’s only one (replay) angle that matters. Do I think it was a score? Yes. The one look we had that they continued to show, it looked pretty clear, but it is what it is. They go back to New York now with that (replay), and it’s disappointing.”

Falcons coach Mike Smith said he might have a biased view, but he thought the call was correct.

“It was a critical play in the ball game,” Smith said. “We talked about attacking the ball and winning the turnover battle. That was a big-time play. He went in, raked the ball out and created the turnover. From my view, I didn’t think that the ball crossed the plane. I didn’t think there was enough evidence to overturn it. I think they got it right.”

Brees did get the Saints within 20-14 with 5:48 left, marching 87 yards on 12 plays before hitting Graham with a 4-yard, back-shoulder throw against Ishmael. Brees completed 8 of 11 passes for 80 yards on the drive.

Trailing by six, the Saints got the ball back at their 10 with 2:40 left. But cornerback Robert McClain undercut Brees’ sideline throw for wide receiver Nick Toon for a decisive interception at the Saints’ 13. Bryant’s third field goal of the game — from 32 yards — iced the game, 23-14, with 1:56 left.

“They had been running those kind of routes the whole game, and if saw him drop his hips, I was going to go attack him,” McClain said. “Luckily I was able to get the ball.”

The Saints’ high-powered offense was non-existent in the first half, getting only a 1-yard touchdown run by Mark Ingram on New Orleans’ first offensive play upheld that came at the end of a 99-yard, opening kickoff return by rookie Jalen Saunders. Cornerback Javier Arenas wrestled Saunders down just short of the goal line, but Ingram got the touchdown on the next play.

After that, the Falcons controlled the first half, getting field goals of 44 and 50 yards from Bryant and a touchdown with three seconds left in the half on a 3-yard shovel pass from Ryan to wide receiver Eric Weems.

NOTES: The Falcons lost RB Steven Jackson and S William Moore to injuries. Their status for next week is uncertain. … Saints RB Pierre Thomas left with a rib injury. … In two games against the Saints this year, K Matt Bryant has six field goals, including three from 50 yards or longer.