Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints RECAP, SCORE and FANTASY STATS | NFL Week 12

The Atlanta Falcons (4-6), led by quarterback Matt Ryan, met the New Orleans Saints (9-1), led by quarterback Drew Brees, in a Week 12 NFL Thanksgiving Day football game on Thursday, November 22, 2018 (11/22/18) at Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

Check the scoreboard above for the final score and click on the stats link for game stats.

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Click here for our picks and predictions for Week 12.

Here's the AP recap:

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Drew Brees made Atlanta pay for losing track of his inexperienced receivers, and New Orleans' defense halted several promising Falcons drives with forced fumbles they could not afford.

Tommylee Lewis and Austin Carr each caught his second career touchdown pass, rookie tight end Dan Arnold and rookie receiver Keith Kirkwood each grabbed their first, and the Saints won their 10th straight game with a 31-17 victory Thursday night that eliminated Atlanta from contention in the NFC South.

All four players entered the NFL as undrafted free agents within the past three years.

"I love that stat," Brees said. "That's one of my favorite ones."

They also had combined for zero touchdowns this season before Carr caught the first of his career last Sunday.

"It says a lot about taking advantage of the opportunity," Brees said. "It's fun to watch them grow and gain confidence. We're building chemistry, which typically takes time, right? But they've been thrust into this role."

Meanwhile, the Falcons (4-7) lost three fumbles inside the Saints 20 -- tough for any team to overcome against streaking New Orleans (10-1) this season.

Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan was stripped by safety Marcus Williams on a third-and-2 from the Saints 3 and Williams recovered to end Atlanta's opening drive. Julio Jones was stripped by linebacker Alex Anzalone after a catch on the New Orleans 17, and safety Vonn Bell recovered in the final minute of the second quarter to preserve a 17-3 lead going into halftime.

New Orleans' defense, which had a season-high six sacks, continued to come up with big plays in the second half. Anzalone broke up a fourth-down pass in the third quarter and linebacker A.J. Klein intercepted a pass tipped by defensive tackle Tyeler Davison in the fourth.

"I do love the way that we played today," said defensive end Cameron Jordan, who had two sacks. "I do love the four turnovers. I do love the sacks. I do love the pressures. I do love the quarterback hits. For all terms and purposes, we had our Thanksgiving."

Klein's interception gave the Saints possession on the Atlanta 22, setting up Kirkwood's diving 4-yard TD catch.

With about four minutes left, cornerback Marshon Lattimore stripped Calvin Ridley on the Saints 1 after a 29-yard completion that looked as though it would end in a touchdown. Defensive back Eli Apple recovered that one.

"When you have one turnover (in the red zone), it feels like a lot," Falcons coach Dan Quinn said. "We had three down there and that was the real story of the game."

KEY STATS

Ryan was under pressure all night from a Saints defense that was bolstered by the return of first-round draft choice Marcus Davenport from a toe injury that sidelined him for three games. Marcus Williams, P.J. Williams, Sheldon Rankins and Demario Davis each had a sack.

Ryan finished 35 of 47 for 377 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. But little came easy. His first TD pass, to Ridley, came on fourth down from the 2 late in the third quarter.

Atlanta rushed for just 26 yards. New Orleans finished with 150, led by Alvin Kamara's 89 and Mark Ingram's 52.

Statistically, Brees did not have one of his more impressive games, completing 15 of 22 passes for 171 yards with his second interception of the season. The pick was snagged by Damontae Kazee, his NFL-leading sixth this year.

NEW TARGETS

Brees' ability to play to the strengths of unheralded receivers allowed the Saints to cash in on scoring opportunities. A week earlier, he found rookie Tre'Quan Smith 10 times for 157 yards and a TD, but Smith was ruled out against Atlanta with a foot injury. Another receiver, Ted Ginn Jr., has been out with a knee injury since Week 5.

Lewis, a third-year pro, was in his first game back after nine weeks on injured reserve and had not caught a pass all season before getting wide open for his 28-yard grab that made it 7-0. Carr is a second-year pro who played in only one game without a catch as a rookie. He, too, was wide open after Falcons defenders bit on a fake to Ingram. Kirkwood made his NFL debut three games ago, when Arnold had his first career catch.

"Obviously, Drew is someone who is very confident in the preparation, confident in players around him. There's a lot that goes into that," Saints coach Sean Payton said. "I'm excited for those guys that got opportunities."

DIRE STRAITS

The Falcons' dimming playoff hopes hang on catching up in the wild-card race, and they trail Minnesota (5-4-1) by two games for the last spot.

"It's rough right now for us. You don't want guys to quit," Jones said. "This is the time you get to see what guys are really like."

INJURIES

Falcons linebacker Kemal Ishmael was helped off the field in the third quarter after a punt.

UP NEXT

Falcons host Baltimore Dec. 2.

Saints visit Dallas on Thursday night.

Here's is what you need to know:

Who: Falcons vs. Saints

What: NFL, Week 12

When: Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018

Where: Mercedes-Benz Superdome

Time: 8:20 p.m. Eastern

TV: NBC

Livestream: fuboTV, NBC Sports Live

Line: Saints -13

Falcons notes: QB MATT RYAN completed 26 of 35 (74.3 pct.) for 374 yards with 5 TDs vs. 0 INTs for 148.1 rating in last meeting. In his past 3 vs. division, has 1,001 pass yards (333.7 per game) with 10 TDs vs. 1 INT for 134.3 rating. Has 100+ rating in 4 of his past 5. In 3 career road Thursday games, has 890 pass yards (296.7 per game) with 6 TDs vs. 1 INT for 98.2 rating * RB TEVIN COLEMAN had 85 scrimmage yards last week. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. NO & 3rd in row vs. NFC South with TD catch. In his past 5 vs. NO, has 6 TDs (3 rush, 3 rec.). Rookie RB ITO SMITH has rush TD in 2 of 3 career road games. * WR JULIO JONES had 6 catches for 118 yards & TD in Week 11. Aims for his 4th in row with TD catch. Leads NFL with 1,158 rec. yards in 2018. In his past 9 vs. NFC South, has 1,056 rec. yards (117.3 per game) & 2 TDs. Has 632 rec. yards (126.4 per game) & 3 TDs in past 5 Thursday games. Rookie WR CALVIN RIDLEY has 4 TD catches in 3 career games vs. division. * LB VIC BEASLEY, JR. had 2 sacks last week, his 5thcareer multi-sack game. Had sack in last meeting. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. NO with TFL. S DAMONTAE KAZEE tied career-high with 9 tackles in last meeting. Aims for his 4th in row on road with INT & 5th in row on road with PD. Leads NFL with 5 INTs in 2018. DL JACK CRAWFORD had FF in Week 11.

NFL QB rankings: Week 12

Saints notes: QB DREW BREES passed for 363 yards with 4 TDs vs. 0 INTs for 153.2 rating in Week 11. Has 23 career games with 4+ pass TDs & 0 INTs & surpassed TOM BRADY (22) for most such games in NFL history. Leads NFL in comp. pct. (76.9) & rating (126.9) in 2018. Aims for his 3rd in row with 3+ pass TDs, 0 INTs & 150+ rating. In 5 home games this season, has completed 138 of 175 (78.9 pct.) for 1,754 yards (350.8 per game) with 16 TDs vs. 0 INTs for 138.9 rating. * RB ALVIN KAMARA had 108 scrimmage yards (71 rush, 37 rec.) & TD catch last week. Aims for his 6th in row with TD & 4th in row with 100+ scrimmage yards. Had career-high 15 receptions & 190 scrimmage yards (124 rec., 66 rush) in last meeting. In 8 career division games, has 896 scrimmage yards (112 per game) & 9 TDs (7 rush, 2 rec.). RB MARK INGRAM had 103 rush yards & 2 TDs last week. Aims for his 3rd in row with 100+ rush yards & TD. Has 9 rush TDs in his past 7 at home. * WR MICHAEL THOMAS ranks 2nd in NFL in receptions (82) & rec. yards (1,042) in 2018. Has 10+ catches & 115+ rec. yards in 3 of his past 4 vs. Atl. In his past 6 vs. division, has 656 rec. yards (109.3 per game) & 3 TDs. Rookie WR TRE'QUAN SMITH set career-highs in catches (10) & rec. yards (157) & had TD in Week 11. * DE CAMERON JORDAN aims for his 3rd in row vs. Atl. with 2+ sacks. Has 5 sacks in his past 4 vs. NFC South. S CHRIS BANJO had 2 INTs last week, his 1st-career multiINT game. -- NFL Communications

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