ATLANTA — Drew Brees threw a pair of touchdown passes and the New Orleans Saints overcame a lackluster offensive showing, holding off the Atlanta Falcons 17-13 Thursday night.
Brees hooked up with Jimmy Graham on a 44-yard touchdown and Benjamin Watson on a 1-yard scoring play, both in the first half and good enough to give the first-place Saints (9-2) a sweep of their season series with their NFC South rivals.
Atlanta (2-9) dropped its fifth straight game, clinched its first losing season since 2008 and was officially eliminated from the division race with five weeks remaining.
The Falcons had a chance to pull off the upset, driving to the Saints 29 with less than 3 minutes to go. But New Orleans turned up the pressure on Matt Ryan, Atlanta missed a long field goal, and the Saints ran off all but the last 5 seconds.
The Georgia Dome rocked with chants of “Who Dat! Who Dat!” as the final seconds ticked off the clock, the Saints ensuring they will remain alone atop the NFC South and just one game behind Seattle for home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. New Orleans will face the Seahawks on Dec. 2 in what shapes up as one of the biggest games of the year.
The Falcons had hoped to salvage some bit of pride in this lost season, driving from their own 9 — actually, the 3 after Ryan was sacked — to the Saints 29. But Ryan was sacked again by Cameron Jordan and hurried into a pair of incompletions. As the crowd groaned, the Falcons surprisingly sent on Matt Bryant to attempt a 52-yard field goal.
He knocked one through, but the Saints called timeout just before the snap. After standing around during the commercial break, Bryant’s next try sailed wide of the left upright.
Brees and the offense took it from there, assuring Atlanta had time for only one desperate play at the end.
Incognito agrees to postpone hearing
MIAMI — Richie Incognito has agreed to postpone his grievance hearing challenging his suspension by the Miami Dolphins until the NFL completes its investigation into the team’s bullying scandal.
The hearing had been scheduled for Thursday.
In a statement, Incognito said he will cooperate fully in the investigation with a goal of resuming his career with the Dolphins. He said he hoped to put the distraction of the case in the past soon.
Tackle Jonathan Martin alleges he was harassed daily by teammates, including Incognito. Martin left the team Oct. 28, and Incognito was suspended Nov. 3. An NFL special investigator has been interviewing Dolphins players, coaches and staff this week, and he’ll meet with Incognito.
Seahawks owner to fund brain research
SEATTLE — Microsoft co-founder and Seattle Seahawks owner Paul Allen said Thursday he will pay for a two-year, $2.4 million study into whether repeated blows to the head can lead to dementia.
Researchers at the Allen Institute for Brain Science and the University of Washington will examine donated brains to look for links between head injuries and later health problems like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
The NFL recently reached a $765 million settlement of concussion lawsuits that made about 19,000 retired players eligible for money and medical testing. Last week, the NFL Players Association announced a new organization to help former players with health and financial concerns.
Jones: Garrett will be Cowboys coach in 2014
IRVING, Texas — Dallas owner Jerry Jones says coach Jason Garrett will return in 2014 regardless of whether the Cowboys end a three-year playoff drought this season.
Jones said Thursday he’s “disappointed” the Cowboys don’t have a better record as they get ready for an important NFC East game against the New York Giants on Sunday.
Dallas is 5-5, a half-game behind idle Philadelphia in the division. The Cowboys are trailing in the NFC East for the first time this season. The Giants (4-6) have won four straight after an 0-6 start.
The Cowboys finish the regular season at home against the Eagles. They have a lost a playoffs-or-bust finale to a division rival each of the past two seasons.
By wire sources