Drew Brees Makes History as Saints Beat Falcons to Earn 2017-18 Playoff Berth

The New Orleans Saints defeated the Atlanta Falcons 23-13 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday afternoon to clinch their first playoff berth since 2013. 

Now 11-4, New Orleans will try and secure an NFC South title in Week 17 after the Carolina Panthers mounted a late charge and defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 22-19 to stay alive in the race for the division championship. 

Unlike their Week 14 loss to the Falcons, the Saints dominated from start to finish with a trip to the postseason hanging in the balance. 

Quarterback Drew Brees was a tidy 21-of-28 for 239 yards and one touchdown, and that performance allowed him to join Brett Favre and Peyton Manning as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to eclipse 70,000 career passing yards: 

Brees has also now topped 4,000 passing yards in an NFL-record 12 straight seasons. According to ESPN Stats & Info, Manning (14) is the only quarterback who has eclipsed that mark more often. 

When Brees wasn't picking apart Atlanta's secondary, the Saints' Pro Bowl rushing tandem of Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram shouldered the load. 

Ingram led the way on the ground with 44 yards and a touchdown, while Kamara piled up 90 yards from scrimmage on 19 touches. A sizable chunk of that total came through the air, with him operating as Brees' go-to target to the tune of seven catches for 58 yards. 

However, Brees' biggest home run of the day didn't come courtesy of Kamara. Rather, it was Ted Ginn Jr. who broke through late in the second quarter and went 54 yards to the house to give the Saints a commanding 13-0 lead, as the team's official Twitter account documented: 

That score was set up by a sensational effort from Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore—who used his backside to pick off Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan: 

That play was a microcosm of the day for both sides. 

While the Saints played a clean game and made timely plays to build their lead, the Falcons were plagued by penalties (10 for 91 yards), sloppy execution and underwhelming play-calling, as The Ringer's Bill Simmons and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's D. Orlando Ledbetter noted: 

Ryan went 22-of-36 for 288 yards and a score, while the Falcons managed a meager 3.4 yards per carry with Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman both bottled up. 

Speaking of Freeman, Atlanta's lead rusher fumbled at the 1-yard line with a chance to cut the deficit to 13-7 early in the third quarter and was later stuffed on 4th-and-goal from the 1 to start the final frame. 

Now 9-6 on the season, the Falcons will have to close out the regular season with a win over the Panthers (11-4) if they want to make the playoffs for the second straight season. 

The Saints, meanwhile, will reclaim the division crown if they can beat the listless Buccaneers in Week 17 at Raymond James Stadium.