Talk about a mismatch.The New Orleans Saints have been unstoppable. The Atlanta Falcons have struggled to stop anyone. It all adds up to a Thanksgiving night game that could get out of hand quickly."Where do you start?" moaned Marquand Manuel Marcus Davenport Jersey Stitched , the Falcon's defensive coordinator.The Saints (9-1) are leading the NFL in scoring and really piled it on the last two weeks, dropping 51 points on Cincinnati and 48 on defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia in a pair of blowout wins.Most amazingly, New Orleans has scored on 24 of its last 29 possessions, not counting kneel-downs at the end of the game.Eighteen of those possessions have resulted in touchdowns.Next up is Atlanta (4-6), a team that has lost two straight and ranks near the bottom of the league in every major defensive category. The Falcons have been ravaged by injuries, losing both safeties for the season and top linebacker Deion Jones for the last nine games. Jones has returned to the active roster but it's not known if he'll be able to go Thursday."It's a challenge," Marquand said. "The guys just have to be up to it for four quarters and understand that they're going to make some plays. They're hot right now."While Drew Brees is having another huge year at age 39, New Orleans' running game might be the real key to its offensive success.The Saints rank sixth in the league with an average of 131.4 yards per game, and they've been especially tough to defend since Mark Ingram returned after serving a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's policy on banned substances."Complementary football," Ingram said. "Great teams play complementary football."Ingram has rushed for 388 yards since his return, combining with Alvin Kamara to provide a dynamic 1-2 punch. Kamara has run for 617 yards and 11 TDs, to go along with 56 receptions and four scores."The combination of both he and Alvin together has been pretty good for us," coach Sean Payton said. "It is much more difficult if you are limited to just one of those players."Marquand said Atlanta's focus will be on trying to turn the Saints one-dimensional."It's where you start every week: the ability to stop the run game," he said. "Ingram has come back and given them a nice balance. That allows Drew to be who he is."Indeed, Brees is still the one who makes it all click.Last week Youth Tre'Quan Smith Jersey , with newly signed receiver Brandon Marshall on the inactive list and the Eagles shading their coverage toward top receiver Michael Thomas, Brees threw touchdown passes to second-year pro Austin Carr and rookie Tre'Quan Smith.Smith finished with 10 catches for a career-high 157 yards, giving the Falcons another player to worry about, though he hasn't been practicing during the short week because of a foot issue.Thomas is certainly a handful, having already eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving with six games still to go."Drew's going to shred you up, man," Ingram said. "When we're running the ball well, it just opens it up more for him. Even if not, he's still going to do his thing. When he's throwing it and slicing and dialing up plays like that and playing pitch and catch like that, they have to respect it."When these longtime division rivals met in Week 3, New Orleans pulled out a 43-37 victory in overtime . Most memorably, Brees forced the extra period with a 7-yard touchdown run in the closing minutes of regulation, spinning away from both Brian Poole and Robert Alford to reach the end zone. The Saints then won the coin toss and held the ball for more than 7 minutes in OT, capped by Brees' 1-yard TD plunge that ended the game.The thrilling contest set a course for both teams.The Falcons lost their next two games Tre'Quan Smith Jersey Stitched , as well, and never really recovered. The Saints haven't lost since."The last time we played them, the tackling was not up to par," Marquand said. "But we are a better defense than the last time we faced them. We've got to make sure we stop them in the red zone, because they're going to make their plays. We've got to make them earn everything they get."AP Sports Writer Brett Martel in New Orleans contributed to this report.Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at s://apnews/search/paul%20newberry NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Saints have no time to waste if they want to win another Super Bowl with record-setting quarterback Drew Brees under center — which is why three of their top four 2019 draft slots have already been traded away.The Saints aren’t slated to pick until late in the second round — 62nd overall — because they largely mortgaged the top of this year’s draft in hopes of winning it all last season.New Orleans traded this year’s first-round pick last year in order to move up and select defensive end Marcus Davenport. The Saints gave up their 2019 third-round pick in a trade for reserve quarterback Teddy Bridgewater late in the 2018 preseason. And in the middle of last season, they exchanged this year’s fourth-round pick for cornerback Eli Apple.It nearly paid off. But less than a week after Brees turned 40, the Saints fell to the Rams in an NFC title game tainted by officials’ decisions not to throw flags against Los Angeles for a hit to the head of a Saints receiver on a play that also could have been called pass interference.Without the benefit of either call, the Saints settled for a late go-ahead field goal that left the Rams enough time to tie the game before winning in overtime.That left New Orleans to wonder, “what if?” as the Rams fell to New England in the Super Bowl.Yet, as bitterly as the offseason began, it has steadily become more hopeful in the early weeks of a new league year.New Orleans has been able to keep most of its contending 2018 team together for another run at a Super Bowl. And the Saints moved quickly in free agency to add projected replacements for the few veterans who’ve left.When running back Mark Ingram and defensive end Alex Okafor left as free agents, New Orleans signed running backs Latavius Murray and Malcom Brown, as well as defensive end Mario Edwards. When center Max Unger retired, the Saints signed center Nick Easton.So the Saints won’t have many holes to fill in this draft, but will nonetheless want to find a few rookies capable of contributing right away. Having the depth to withstand a few untimely injuries sometimes makes all the difference in a title run.Some key story lines surrounding the Saints’ 2019 draft.THIN INTERIORAn area of immediate concern is along the interior defensive line Youth Rick Leonard Jersey , where 2016 first-round draft choice Sheldon Rankins is recovering from an Achilles tendon tear, David Onyemata is facing a possible suspension of up to four games for a misdemeanor marijuana citation and Tyeler Davison left in free agency.If all goes well, Rankins and Onyemata will both be back and in form by the second month of the season, but that’s no easy forecast at this point. Recovery from an Achilles tendon injury can be tricky. Davison’s decision, which came less than two weeks before the draft, might be the bigger blow. He was a solid role player who started 43 games in the past three seasons. So if a desirable defensive tackle is available, expect the Saints to take a hard look. Possibilities are Dre’mont Jones of Ohio State and Gerald Willis of Miami.BLOCKING MATTERSThe Saints sought to bolster their offensive line depth in last year’s draft, selecting Florida State offensive tackle Rick Leonard and LSU interior lineman Will Clapp. But Leonard never made the active roster and ultimately was cut from the practice squad. And while the Saints have been encouraged by the development of interior lineman Cameron Tom, an undrafted rookie in 2017, they still have ample reasons to consider drafting more blockers this season. Guard Andrus Peat, a 2015 first-round draft choice, is in his last season under contract, while left tackle Terron Armstead, one of the highest-paid players on the team, has had trouble staying healthy.CATCHING ONSaints coach Sean Payton Rick Leonard Jersey Stitched , who designs and calls the offense, is always on the lookout for reliable receivers — and might need another one in 2019. Beyond 2018 All-Pro Michael Thomas, the Saints have questions at the position. Cameron Meredith, a top free-agent target a year ago, struggled to come back from knee surgery in his first season in New Orleans; Tre’Quan Smith is coming off a rookie season that showed promise in sometimes magnificent bursts, but lacked consistency; and Ted Ginn Jr., who was sidelined much of last season by a knee injury, is 34 and entering his 13th season.DEFENDING DEEPNew Orleans cut ties with veteran safety Kurt Coleman, a top free-agent target in 2018, after one season. Payton has expressed confidence in young safeties Vonn Bell and Marcus Williams, and the Saints have brought back reserve Chris Banjo, but there is room for another player in the rotation. Meanwhile, Williams’ trajectory is unclear. After a promising rookie season highlighted by four interceptions in the regular season and one in the postseason, he intercepted two passes in 2018.

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