I was proud of them.&quot

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"That doesn't factor into anything. We're a team with a winning record," Barber said postgame. "We're just playing. You like to win them all, regardless of who the opponent is." [link widoczny dla zalogowanych]
Matt Ryan didn't have to do much under center for Atlanta, passing for only 197 yards with a touchdown and recording no interceptions for the fourth straight week. He is now 19-1 at the Georgia Dome and has his sights set on home-field advantage in the upcoming postseason. [link widoczny dla zalogowanych]
Right now Turner and company will have to be realistic and take on the remainder of the regular season a week at a time. The Falcons were patient to stick with the ground attack after Ryan had lit up the scoreboard for almost a month straight, and knew points were going to be hard to come by Sunday.
The NFC playoff picture is about as jumbled as a press conference from Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel, with seven teams sporting records of 7-4 or better. Three of those teams are in the NFC South (Atlanta, New Orleans, Tampa Bay).
As ESPN college football analyst Lee Corso would say, "Not so fast." [link widoczny dla zalogowanych]
NFC South: Saints ready to march after close call
Maybe someday current Bucs head coach Raheem Morris will receive the same treatment, as he is having an easier start than McKay did at the helm. Morris' Bucs, though, had a modest two-game winning streak stopped on the road against a tough Baltimore Ravens team that prevailed by a 17-10 score. For Tampa Bay to score even 10 points in Baltimore could be viewed as amazing in itself, but the loss still dropped the Buccaneers two games off Atlanta's lead in the NFC South.
Perhaps a big offensive explosion is in store for downtrodden Carolina. Coming off Sunday's 24-23 loss at Cleveland, the Panthers squared off with former quarterback Jake Delhomme, who was picked off twice and threw for 245 yards in the start for his new team. Delhomme didn't have to do much, since Browns bulky running back Peyton Hillis barreled his way to 131 yards and three scores on 26 carries, manhandling Carolina's front line, linebackers and secondary in the process.
Atlanta, which has recorded three straight winning seasons for the first time in franchise history, improved to 6-0 at home in 2010. It could find itself hosting several teams in the playoffs, including Green Bay, Philadelphia, the New York Giants or New Orleans, to name a few in the crowded NFC. The Falcons also improved to 19-3 at the Dome under Smith and didn't need Roddy White to do it. The wideout matched a season low with 49 yards on five catches, but was able to become the 12th receiver in league history with four straight seasons with at least 80 catches and 1,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych],000 yards receiving. [link widoczny dla zalogowanych]
"It was good to have that one-two punch in there," Fox said postgame. "I thought having Jonathan Stewart back was a real spark, and Mike Goodson has done a terrific job." [link widoczny dla zalogowanych]
Of course Green, then head coach of Arizona, was alluding to his team's sloppy loss to the Chicago Bears a few years ago. He probably would be happy with the way the Falcons are playing, because they're not letting anybody off the hook, including Green Bay in Sunday's nail-biting 20-17 win at the Georgia Dome.
By Shawn Clarke, Contributing NFL Editor
Brees threw for 352 yards with a touchdown toss and interception, and has hit the 300-yard mark in passing five times this season. A big reason for the Saints' Super Bowl-winning season last year, Brees was able to extend New Orleans' season-best winning streak to four games and keep the Saints one game behind surging Atlanta for the NFC South lead.
Freeman had 162 yards and one touchdown last week, numbers that likely will not get it done versus Atlanta. The Falcons are coming off a win over Green Bay and forced the Packers to beat them through the air.
Carolina has dropped five in a row since its only win of the season, which took place versus San Francisco on Oct. 24, and had a chance to win Sunday's game in the end. Kicker John Kasay was ready to split the uprights, but his 42-yard attempt caromed off the left upright. [link widoczny dla zalogowanych]
In other news, Bucs cornerback Aqib Talib, who has six interceptions in 2010, was involved in a confrontation with an official following Sunday's loss in which he reportedly threatened a referee and had to be restrained by his teammates. Either way, Talib should bottle that fury and save it for Atlanta wide receiver Roddy White.
"He's a big one," said Panthers cornerback Captain Munnerlyn, who made his first start of the season and returned an interception 37 yards for a touchdown, of Hillis "I played him in college, and he played fullback in college. He's a big guy. He's strong and runs tough. He's hard to bring down."
(Sports Network) - New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton probably had to wipe some sweat off his brow after a gut-wrenching win at Dallas on Thanksgiving.
PANTHERS: The Seattle Seahawks should count this Sunday's showdown with visiting Carolina as a win already, right?
Payton was both relieved and happy in so many words after the game.
Elsewhere, it seems the novelty has worn off Tampa Bay running back LeGarrette Blount, who's failed to reached the 100-yard rushing mark in four straight weeks after emerging on the scene back in Week 7. He has yet to run for more than 91 yards in a game since posting 120 yards and two scores on 22 touches in a win at Arizona on Oct. 31. [link widoczny dla zalogowanych]
"It's a credit to our team's fight by hanging in there the way they did and getting this win," he said. "I was proud of them."
Blount won't be running behind starting right guard Davin Joseph anymore this season after the lineman was placed on injured reserve with a broken foot suffered on the opening drive of Sunday's loss. Jeremy Zuttah is expected to take his spot. Safety Cody Grimm was also lost for the season with a leg fracture.
"Once we got together, we started winning," said Turner, who scored on fourth- and-goal and posted his sixth 100-yard performance of the season. "We're building a new tradition. Three winning seasons in a row, we're not even blinking right now. We've got our eyes set on something bigger." [link widoczny dla zalogowanych]
BUCCANEERS: The creamsicle look will be back in full force Sunday between Tampa Bay and the NFC South-leading Atlanta Falcons. [link widoczny dla zalogowanych]
Enter safety Malcolm Jenkins. [link widoczny dla zalogowanych]
Saints quarterback Drew Brees, the newly-crowned Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year, was appreciative of the turnover and subsequently led his team on a five-play, 89-yard drive culminated by a 12-yard touchdown pass to Lance Moore with 1:55 remaining. Unfortunately, there was enough time for Dallas to take back the lead, but the Cowboys missed on a game-tying field goal try.
Despite the loss, Panthers head coach John Fox was impressed with his team's determination to get into field-goal range before coming up short.
"We lost those two players [Sunday], lost Davin very early with the broken foot and lost Cody 24 snaps into it," said Morris. "Those were very unfortunate plays; we're going to miss those players a lot. But that's the nature of the beast in the NFL. The next person up will step up and fill that role."
Jenkins, selected in the first round of the 2009 draft to be the Saints' next star defensive back of the future, made the play of the day and one that could springboard New Orleans to another magical run. The former Ohio State star, who appeared in 14 games his rookie season and has made 10 starts in 2010, tracked down Cowboys wideout Roy Williams late in the game and stripped him of the football, giving the Saints possession deep in their own territory with a few minutes to go in the contest.
The Falcons will begin a three-game road trip this Sunday against the division-rival Buccaneers, to be followed by road tilts with Carolina and Seattle.
New Orleans racked up a season-best 414 yards of offense no thanks to the ground game, however. The Saints had just 81 yards rushing, with [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] gaining the most with 45 on 10 carries. Reggie Bush wasn't much of a factor in his first game back from a broken leg suffered in Week 2, as he recorded one catch for 12 yards and one carry for one yard.
The Saints will conclude their two-game road trip this Sunday against lowly Cincinnati.
The Panthers are already without running back DeAngelo Williams due to injury, but got Jonathan Stewart back in Cleveland. Having missed back-to-back weeks with a concussion, Stewart had 98 yards on 12 carries on Sunday and is third on the Panthers with 306 rushing yards and one touchdown on 81 carries this season. Mike Goodson chipped in 55 rushing yards and 81 receiving yards as the two helped Carolina to a season-high 151 rushing yards.
Granted, the Packers gave Atlanta a run for its money, but in the end the Falcons were able to hang on for their fifth straight win and remain a game ahead of defending champion New Orleans for first place in the NFC South.

The 1-10 Panthers, winless in all five road games this season, have to find some light at the end of the tunnel and are still searching for their first win as the guest since beating the New York Giants at the Meadowlands last December. They blasted the G-men by a 41-9 score in that one and ended a three-game road losing streak in the process.
Still in the thick of a playoff berth, the Buccaneers were hoping for another late miracle from young quarterback Josh Freeman. That never happened, though, and now the team is preparing for a rematch with the Falcons, who edged the Bucs by a 27-21 score at the Georgia Dome on Nov. 7. Morris had claimed his team as the best in the NFC back then and is still sticking to his words.
The Bucs played a stingy defense as well, save for a 17-point second quarter by the Ravens, and should still feel proud with how well they competed. Tampa Bay is still searching for its first victory against a team with a winning record this season, but that means nothing to veteran coverman Ronde Barber.
FALCONS: To pay homage to former NFL coach Dennis Green, it's time to crown the Atlanta Falcons as the team to beat in the NFC.
But the Saints aren't putting their chips down for the run game. This is a passing team and will continue to be unless somebody stops it. Deuce McAllister is long gone and Dalton Hilliard isn't going to enter the Superdome with pads on any time soon, forcing Payton to literally run with [link widoczny dla zalogowanych], rookie Chris Ivory and Bush. Will that be enough to overthrow Atlanta? Only time will tell.
Running back Michael Turner must be visualizing the same dream after he recorded 110 yards and a touchdown against a stingy Green Bay defense. In a possible playoff preview between Atlanta and Green Bay, Turner and the ground game set the tone for the day. That's exactly how the front office envisioned it when Mike Smith was appointed head coach, Ryan was drafted and Turner headed east from San Diego prior to the 2008 season.
Payton's team rode the Cowboys to a 17-0 lead and before it was over, found itself staring down a 27-23 deficit at the two-minute warning.
Fox was able to get two offensive weapons back in the lineup, as rookie quarterback Jimmy Clausen completed 16-of-28 passes for a season-high 195 yards and no touchdowns with one interception after missing a game due to a concussion. Brian St. Pierre started last week versus Baltimore and has been bothered by a right shoulder injury. Meanwhile, Clausen has thrown for 887 yards and one touchdown with five interceptions in eight games (five starts).
Tampa Bay is expected to roll out the old "Buccaneer Bruce" uniforms from its inception and will induct former head coach John McKay into the ring of honor.