STILL ALL DAT: Saints Send Message To Falcons With 4th Quarter Comeback
ATLANTA
With the New Orleans Saints on the ropes inside the Georgia Dome, a group of confidentAtlanta Falcons fans began a mocking chant of “We dat!”
Not quite.
The team known for its “Who Dat? chant isn’t ready to cede the Lombardi Trophy it won last year. That became evident when New Orleans rallied for a 17-14 victory over a Falcons squad that entered with the NFC’s best record at 12-2.
“We’re still trying to hold our crown and protect it,” Saints free safety Darren Sharper said afterward. “Everybody is talking about these guys. They’re a good team. You have to give them respect. But people forgot that you don’t win world championships easily. We’ve been in this position before and we knew how to keep fighting.”
Atlanta is still expected to land the blow that will win the NFC South title and secure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs while relegating the Saints (11-4) to a wild-card spot. All the Falcons must do is win at home Sunday against Carolina, the team with the NFL’s worst record at 2-13.
The Saints, though, are now assured a playoff spot. And judging by Monday night, this isn’t a team that Atlanta should want to face again in the postseason, despite its gaudy home record under head coach Mike Smith and quarterback Matt Ryan.
“We felt we could win here,” said Saints linebacker Jon Vilma, whose team avenged a Week 3 overtime home loss to the Falcons. “For us to come out here and do it, it’s really more of a statement for the rest of America to see us come out here and win.”
Asked what that statement is, Vilma smiled and said, “We’re the Saints, baby! We’re the defending Super Bowl champs!”
That reminder hit home in the fourth quarter.
