NEW ORLEANS — Tevin Coleman rushed for three touchdowns, Matt Ryan passed for two TDs, and Deion Jones returned an interception 90 yards for a score to help the Atlanta Falcons beat the winless New Orleans Saints 45-32 on Monday night.
The game was played nearly 10 years to the day after the Saints’ memorable return to the Superdome on Sept. 25, 2006, 13 months after Hurricane Katrina. But there would be no reprise of New Orleans’ dominant and emotional 23-3 triumph a decade ago.
The Saints’ depleted defense struggled to slow down Devonta Freeman, who rushed for 152 yards and caught five passes for 55 yards. Coleman also was effective in the passing game out of the backfield, with three receptions for 47 yards to go with his 42 yards rushing.
Ryan finished with 240 yards passing for Atlanta (2-1) which did not turn the ball over and moved into sole possession of first place in the NFC South.
Drew Brees put up his usual big numbers – 376 yards and three TDs passing – but his interception for a touchdown on a tipped pass early in the fourth quarter gave the Falcons a 45-25 lead that proved too much for New Orleans to overcome.
GIANTS: Shane Vereen will require surgery on a triceps injury, the Giants announced, leaving the team without its best pass-catching running back and currently its leading rusher for what could be the rest of the year.
He will be placed on injured reserve. After first describing the procedure as “season-ending” earlier Monday, the Giants said later in the afternoon there is a chance for Vereen to return from that designation if he heals quickly enough. He will not be eligible to return until late November.
STEELERS: Le’Veon Bell stood at his locker, his face covered in sweat and his eagerness to kickstart his stalled NFL career palpable.
His three-game suspension for a second violation of the league’s substance abuse policy over, the Pittsburgh Steelers running back is ready to get back to work, particularly after spending Sunday afternoon watching his teammates get clobbered across the state in Philadelphia.
The team that looked borderline unstoppable at times during wins over Washington and Cincinnati was a mess against the Eagles. DeAngelo Williams, who filled in so brilliantly for Bell during the opening two weeks, slogged for just 21 yards. The offense posted its lowest point total in five years and the defense spent the afternoon futilely trying to make Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz look like a rookie.
Enter Bell, limited to six of Pittsburgh’s last 22 games thanks to knee injuries and run-ins with the league’s drug policy.
An All-Pro in 2014 when he emerged as one of the best all-around backs in the league, Bell believes he’s a better player than the one last seen being carted off the field in a loss to the Bengals last November with a torn MCL in his right knee.
SEAHAWKS: Quarterback Russell Wilson has a sprained MCL in his left knee and Coach Pete Carroll raised the possibility of Wilson missing the Week 4 game against the New York Jets.
Carroll said during his weekly radio show on KIRO-AM that Wilson “feels great” and that his recovery is already going “exceedingly well.”
Wilson underwent an MRI on Sunday night that confirmed the ligament sprain and Wilson received treatment all night, Carroll said.
Wilson was injured in the third quarter of Sunday’s 37-18 win over San Francisco when he was pulled down awkwardly while being sacked by Eli Harold. Wilson stayed down on the field for a few moments after the injury before walking off.
JETS: New York is giving Austin Seferian-Jenkins a chance to redeem himself off the field and get his NFL career back on track.
The talented but troubled tight end was claimed off waivers from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who cut him last week after he was arrested on suspicion of driving while under the influence.
WASHINGTON: Coach Jay Gruden said safety DeAngelo Hall will miss the rest of the season with a torn ligament in his right knee.
BENGALS: Linebacker Vontaze Burfict is back with the Bengals, looking to inject some energy into a team off to its worst start in five years.
Burfict was suspended by the NFL for the first three games of the season because of his numerous illegal hits on opponents.
His hit to receiver Antonio Brown’s head drew a penalty that set up Pittsburgh’s last-minute field goal for an 18-16 playoff win last season.
RAIDERS: Oakland released Pro Bowl fullback Marcel Reece after his four-game suspension for performance enhancing drugs was completed.
CHARGERS: Coach Mike McCoy says linebacker Manti Te’o will miss the rest of the season with a torn left Achilles tendon.
TEXANS: Left tackle Duane Brown returned to practice for the first time since January surgery to repair a torn quadriceps, and Coach Bill O’Brien said he could play on Sunday against Tennessee.
Former Dallas defensive end Greg Hardy, who remains unsigned after a tumultuous 2015 season revolving around his domestic violence case in North Carolina, was arrested on a cocaine possession charge in Texas.
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