The 6-8 Saints had a chance to finish the season with a .500 record if they could beat the Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings, both on the road. The 6-7-1 Dirty Birds also had a chance to finish above .500 if they won their two remaining games. The Saints hoped to avenge the 31-10 loss to the Falcons on opening day in the Superdome.

Saints WR Mike Jones explained, "I think this game is a matter of getting respect back." Falcons' fourth-year coach Dan Henning praised the Saints. "We beat the Saints down there, but they weren't on their feet yet. We expected them to get a lot better, and they have. They've discovered that back (Rueben Mayes) since we've played them, which has made a great deal of difference." Henning was skating on thin ice after losing to the winless Indiana­polis Colts the week before.

The Saints would have to stop Atlanta's top runner, 6'1" 230lb Gerald Riggs, who had rushed for 1,252y and eight touchdowns during the season. In 1985, he finished second to the Raiders' Marcus Allen in the NFL rushing derby.

Saints coach Jim Mora said, "Riggs has that ability to go outside. You look at his size, and you wouldn't think he was that fast."

Riggs said, "They've been working me like a government mule."

39,994 chilly fans in Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium watched the Saints dominate the first half, hogging the ball for 20:04 of the 30 minutes. CB Dave Waymer had two interceptions in the half to bring his season total to eight. The Saints shutout the Falcons but scored only seven points themselves.

The touchdown came on QB Dave Wilson's 7y pass to WR Eric Martin, a second-year pro from LSU, with 6:32 left in the first quarter. The Falcons rushed eight defenders so Wilson released the ball quickly to Martin, who beat S Wendell Cason on a slant pattern. Morten Andersen kicked the extra point. Saints 7 Falcons 0

With 33 seconds left in the first half, Andersen came in to try a 50y field goal, but holder Brian Hansen couldn't handle the snap and was tackled for a 15y loss

After a scoreless second quarter, the Falcons finally scored in the third when TE Ken Whi­senhunt slipped into the end zone and pulled in a play-action pass from QB Turk Schonert with 2:53 left in the period. Ali Haji-Sheikh's PAT try hit the left upright. Saints 7 Falcons 6

Late in the third quarter, Atlanta CB David Croudip intercepted a Wilson pass and return­ed 29y to the NO 40 where C Joel Hilgenberg made the tackle. WR Floyd Dixon got by CB Dave Waymer to catch passes from Schonert for 10y and 17y gains.

On the third play of the fourth quarter, LB Ricky Jackson broke through and leveled Scho­nert in the pocket, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Saints DE Frank Warren at his 14 to end the threat.

"I could have just went for the sack," said Jackson, "but I went for the ball. I just slapped it out."

Atlanta took their first lead of the game with 5:39 remaining when Haji-Sheikh booted a 43y field goal. Falcons 9 Saints 7

The Saints answered with a 12-play, 75y touchdown drive. The two-minute warning came with the Saints on the Falcon 6. When play resumed, Wilson faked a handoff to Mayes and escaped the grasp of S Robert Moore near the line of the scrimmage and escaped two more defenders into the end zone. Saints 14 Falcons 9

Mora revealed after the game that Wilson suggested the touchdown play during the two-minute warning timeout.

"It didn't look like it was going to work because the guy (Moore) stayed out there," said Wilson. "He didn't go for the fake at all. I don't know how it worked, but somehow I made a move and got by him."

The Falcons took the kickoff and started a relentless drive deep into Saints territory. Scho­nert completed five passes for 75y in 1:50 off the clock to reach the 5 with just five seconds to play. As Schonert called signals for the next snap, the Saints lined up in their dime package (six defensive backs). Jackson, the lone linebacked, lined up outside at first, then sneaked back to the inside just before the snap. He stormed into the pocket and threw Schonert for a 6y loss—Jackson's fourth sack of the game to double his total for the season.

The Falcons hurriedly lined up at the 11, and Schonert threw a pass to to Brown, who raced into the end zone as the fans went wild. But the officials ruled that time had expired before the ball was snapped.

"I was scared to death," said Mora. "I've seen it happen too many times."

Coach Henning: "I couldn't see the last play from my view. I thought there should have been a call of some kind."

QB Schonert: "When you're sacked, you usually get five seconds while they (the officials) stop the clock and reset. I think they hurried it a little bit. I thought we had the play off (before time expired). I know they (the Saints) were offsides. We might not have been set, but that would have been offsetting penalties."

Ricky Jackson: "The coaches wanted to see if I could do what everybody's been saying I can do. I did today what I should have been doing all year."

The Saints lost at Minnesota the next week to finish the season 7-9. They improved to 12-3 the following season, Jim Mora's second as head coach, for their first winning campaign and first playoff game, which they lost to the Vikings 44-10.