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Playoff Game: Saturday, December 28, 1991 - Atlanta @ New Orleans
Boos were mixed with cheers when QB Bobby Hebert took the field for the home opener against the Seattle Seahawks. Bobby had held out the entire 1990 season in a contract dispute with the Saints. He wanted to be traded but GM Jim Finks refused to do so. Hebert finally signed a two-year contract June 4, 1991. He then led the Silver Anniversary Saints to their best start in franchise history as they won their first seven games (four more than any other opening streak), including a 27-6 thumping of the Falcons in Atlanta. But a shoulder injury he suffered in the opener continued to plague him. He missed the last game of the opening winning streak but returned for Game 8, a 20-17 loss to the Bears. He didn't play in the next six games during which the Saints went 2-4 including a 23-20 home loss to the Falcons. When he left the lineup, the Saints were three games ahead of Atlanta. When Bobby returned for Game 15, they were tied. The Cajun Cannon led the Saints to victories over the Los Angeles Raiders and Phoenix Cardinals to clinch the club's first division title as the Falcons lost to the Cowboys on the last weekend.
As the #3 seed behind the 14-2 Redskins and 12-4 Lions, the 11-5 Saints had to play the #6 Falcons for the third time. Jerry Glanville had taken over the Falcons in 1990 at a time when the Saints had won six in a row in the Deep South Rivalry. As one writer put it, "It's no big secret that Glanville and his players have a penchant for shooting from the lip, especially whenever the Saints are mentioned." In a Sports Illustrated article several weeks earlier, Glanville gave a sarcastic answer when asked about the Saints' four-game losing streak. "I wake up every morning and feel sorry for those sons of bitches. The hell with them."
The big problem for Saints coach Jim Mora and his staff was injuries in the secondary. Starting corners Toi Cook and Vince Buck were out as was backup corner Calvin Nicolson. Milton Mack and journeyman Mark Lee would start. On the other side, Deion Sanders and Tim McKyer gave the Falcons one of the best cornerback tandems in the league. Atlanta also had an edge on special teams. Norm Johnson, who kicked a 50y field goal in the Superdome to beat the Saints the previous month, was perfect from inside 45y. Sanders was one of the best kick returners in the league. The Falcon special teams had blocked two field goals, two PATs, and three punts and recovered three fumbles. The Saints still had Morten Andersen, who was third in the NFC in scoring, but overall the Falcons had to be rated superior on special teams.
The Atlanta passing game possessed a solid foundation with receivers Michael Haynes and Andre Rison. However, the running game was a committee approach. The leading ball carrier in terms of carries was Erric Pegram, a sixth-round rookie from North Texas. Could the Falcons run the ball well enough against the touch Saints defense to give some balance to the attack?
L-R: Milton Mack, Mark Lee, Norm Johnson, Tim McKyer
A sellout crowd of 68,794 saw an exciting game that wasn't decided until the final minutes.
First Quarter
The Saints received the kickoff and gained nothing on three plays. But a roughing the kicker penalty gave them a first down at the 37. They took advantage of the break to score a touchdown. The key plays were third-and-five pass from QB Bobby Hebert in the shotgun to the Saints' leading receiver, WR Eric Martin, for a first down at the 47. On the next third down, Bobby escaped pressure and hit Martin to the 28. After rookie Fred McAfee gained two, Hebert found WR Floyd Turner wide open in the end zone over the middle thanks to a mixup in the secondary. Morten Andersen booted the point. Saints 7 Falcons 0
L-R: Eric Martin, Fred McAfee, Floyd Turner
The Saints deployed the same defense throughout the game: four down linemen, two of whom were linebackers, one linebacker and six defensive backs. Atlanta QB Chris Miller seemed anxious on their first possession, missing on two passes to bring out the punt team. The Saints got moving again from their 39. Firing quick, short passes, Hebert connected with Martin who continued to the Falcon 42. On 3rd-and-four, Bobby threw to Turner over the middle to the 14. The same play put the pigskin on the five. The Saints had scored 87% of the time they were inside the opponent's five. But they didn't this time because CB Deion Sanders cut in front of the receiver on a slant-in to intercept in the end zone. The Saints had outgained Atlanta 122-0 but led by only seven.
Hebert said afterward, "I didn't feel like I forced the ball. I made a bad throw, and Deion made a great play."
The intended receiver, Wesley Carroll, had a different explanation. "He (Deion) held me by the shirt, pulled me back, then made the play. I guess he's good enough to do that and get away with it."
Miller did much better on the next possession, firing to WR Mike Pritchard for 15 and Michael Haynes for 22 to the NO 43. Erric Pegram gained three as the period ended. End Q1: Saints 7 Falcons 0
Haynes was a New Orleans native who played in the band in high school instead of playing football. He joined the team at Northern Arizona and played well enough to be drafted by the Falcons in the 7th round of the 1988 draft.
Second Quarter
The action-packed 15 minutes that saw the teams combine for 16 points started with Rickey Jackson sacking Miller and recovering the ensuing fumble at the Saint 48. McAfee, a sixth-round draft choice who gained 494y to lead the team, carried twice in a row for 11 and 9y. Those would turn out to be the Saints' longest runs of the game. Then a quick flip to Turner gained five. But the defense drew a line there, and the Saints settled for a 45y field goal by Andersen. Saints 10 Falcons 0 (11:37) Atlanta moved 80y for a touchdown with the help of excellent running by Mike Rozier and a bad call by the officials. The Heisman Trophy winner from Nebraska gained 35y on five carries to put the ball on the NO 22. After an incompletion, Rozier was stuffed by DT Frank Warren, who dug the ball out of the running back's grasp. SS Brett Maxie recovered for the Saints. But an official had blown the ball dead because of forward progress, and the Falcons kept possession. The ABC announcing crew, viewing the replay, pronounced it a bad call.
Vaughan Johnson tackles Mike Rozier as Rickey Jackson comes in.
"I didn't hear any whistle," said Maxie. "I heard one of the referees say it was our ball. I don't see how they overruled it."
"I felt like we got a raw deal," Warren said. "The guy (Rozier) wasn't on the ground. As soon as I wrapped him up, I ripped the ball out. It was a suspect call by the referee. But things like that happen. You just have to rebound, and we didn't."
Unfortunately, the play was not reviewable.
On the next play, Miller fired a strike to WR Andre Rison down the middle for the touchdown. Saints 10 Falcons 7 (5:26) McAfee ran the kickoff back to the 38. But the Falcons forced a three-and-out and took possession at their 20 after a touchback. The Saints got the ball back on the first play when Miller threw long into double coverage, and DB Vencie Glenn intercepted while falling backward on the NO 35. But three incompletions and a punt later, Atlanta had the ball at their 36 after a 15y return by Sanders.
The next two possessions would provide textbook examples of bad clock management and good clock management. Miller hit Haynes to the NO 44. But Warren struck again, sacking Miller for a loss of five at the two-minute warning. Rozier then fumbled again but the ball went right to G Houston Hoover lying on the turf at the 45. Coach Glanville immediately sent in Pegram to replace Rozier, who didn't play another down. On 3rd-and-11, Miller tossed the ball into a crowd on a screen pass and LB Sam Mills intercepted. But the turnover was again negated, this time for a roughing the passer penalty on Pat Swilling for pushing Miller down after he released the ball.
Swilling, who was thwarted throughout the game by LT Mike Kenn, explained, "I wasn't sure if he still had the ball. I was in the air coming down. How am I going to see if he has the ball or not?" He added that he pushed Miller in the shoulder, and "it wasn't a hard push." Mills, the interceptor, said, "I didn't see what happened until the replay. I thought it was a touchy kind of call. Pat didn't do that much to the guy."
Pegram gained two to the 28. Timeout Atlanta at 1:16. After Pegram was stopped for no gain, Miller shot a bullet to Haynes to the 13. Timeout Atlanta at 0:55. DE Wayne Martin sacked Miller for a loss of 14. With no timeouts left, Miller had to waste a down to spike the ball. An incompletion on third down brought out Johnson for a 44y field goal. Falcons 10 Saints 10 (0:37)
With all three timeouts left, the Saints hoped to get at least a field goal before halftime. McAfee got the ball rolling by returning the kickoff to the 36 with a 5y face mask penalty added five more. Hebert called a middle screen that worked beautifully. With the Falcons rushing only two, RB Dalton Hilliard took the pass with blockers in front of him and rambled to the 32. Timeout Saints at 0:19. A dump off to Dalton gained just two. Timeout at 0:11. Hebert hit WR Wesley Carroll on a quick slant to the 18. Timeout at 0:06. Anderson nailed the chip shot field goal from the 25. Saints 13 Falcons 10 (0:03)
The last seconds produced more excitement. After a ground ball kick was recovered by the Falcons, the Saints were guilty of offsides. For some reasons, Atlanta took the penalty. This time they took the grounder and tossed the ball backwards for Sanders in hopes that he could break loose. But the second toss went sailing all the way back to the 10. As both teams sprinted for the ball, Atlanta recovered at the 10.
End Q2: Saints 13 Falcons 10
Third Quarter
The Falcons went 84y in five minutes to take the lead. The initial first down came on a pass to Risen over the middle for a first down at the 38. Two Miller scampers out of the pocket gained nine and 11y to put the ball on the NO 32. A flip to Pritchard over the middle negated the blitz for 12y. Following an incompletion, Miller lofted a pass to Haynes who blew by rookie Reggie Jones down the right side. and caught the ball in the end zone just before getting belted by S Glenn. Falcons 17 Saints 13 (9:59)
The Saints took up the rest of the period with a drive of their own. The key plays were all passes: A 3rd down strike to Carroll for 12y to the 39. A flip to Turner at the sideline to the Falcon 47. A 3rd-and-four slant to Quinn Early to the 33. A 9y sack by DE Tim Green threatened to derail progress but passes to Martin for eight and a 3rd-and-12 strike to Early just before two defenders hit him put the ball on the 22. Then the fans booed another call against the Saints after Hebert, under heavy pressure, flipped to ball forward just beyond the scrum of lineman to earn an intentional grounding flag. But the officials taketh and the officials giveth back. On 3rd-and-18, Bobby's throw to Martin was knocked away, but interference was called on DB Brian Mitchell for a first down at the 19. After three plays gained only 5y, Anderson booted a 31y field goal. But the Falcons made contact before the snap to make it first and goal at the nine. McAfee gained 5y off the left side on the last play of the period.
End Q3: Falcons 17 Saints 13
Fourth Quarter
The Saints took the lead in two plays. McAfee carried to the one. Then Hilliard drove off the right side into the end zone. Saints 20 Falcons 17 (14:10) Sanders returned the kickoff to the 20, and a 15y penalty moved it to the 35. That started a drive that resulted in the tying field goal. The first play gained 16 on a pass to Pritchard. On 3rd-and-two, Pegram gained four. Facing 3rd-and-12, Miller slid in the pocket and threw to WR George Thomas across the middle to the 20. Then Warren's second sack blunted the momentum and led to Johnson booting a 36y field goal to maintain his perfect record inside the 45. Saints 20 Falcons 20 (7:36???) At this point, the Saints had two more yards of offense than Atlanta.
After the first reception of TE John Tice for the day moved the chains to the 33, McAfee fumbled on the next snap, and LB Robert Lyles recovered on the 30. With the Falcons almost certain to take the lead, the Saints pushed them back on a Jackson sack that caused a fumble that the Falcons recovered at the 37. Johnson lined up a 54y field goal, but 6'6" DL Les Miller got a hand on it.
The Saints offense took over with 5:44 on the clock. On 3rd-and-9, Hebert targeted Martin who was hit by DB Tracey Eaton as the ball arrived. A split second later and the Saints would have been in field goal range. Instead, Tommy Barnhardt punted into the end zone.
Massaging his sore left shoulder where Ethan hit him, Martin praised the defender after the game: "He just made a good play. That was the story of this game. They made the plays when they needed offensively and defensively. We didn't."
Facing 3rd-and-5, Miller connected with Risen for 13y to the 38. A 1y run by Pegram preceded the play of the game. Defensive coordinator Steve Sidwell called a blitz by both safeties. Haynes took a short pass near the right sideline, sold Milton Mack on an outside fake, spun back to the inside, and took off for the end zone. Glenn made a last-ditch attempt to catch Haynes, but his diving effort at the five failed. The 61y gain gave Michael 145y on six catches. Falcons 27 Saints 20 (2:41)
Michael Haynes breaks loose for the winning touchdown.
Haynes said he had an option on the play. "If he (the cornerback) plays off, it's a hitch. If he bumped, we were going to a fade." He didn't think he would score. "I'd beaten Mack several times before and got caught by pursuit." Michael said, "I had a lot of friends and relatives here at the game, so it was special." He also revealed that Mack was "a very good friend of mine. When I come back down here, I hang out with him."
Sidwell: "A blitz is atypical for us. Every time you do something like that, it's a high-risk situation. We just got our butts burned." Mack: "I don't know how many guys we had rushing. I just know I had single coverage against a real fast guy. You can't make mistakes against those guys or they'll burn you." Jackson questioned using a blitz that normally is used only when the opponent is inside the Saints' 20y line. "When you do that, you're looking for trouble."
Needing a touchdown to tie, the Saints had two timeouts left plus the two-minute warning. Hebert started fast, hitting Early for seven and then, after a no-huddle snap, Turner to the 40, but Martin moved prematurely to negate the gain. Sanders broke up a deep throw to Carroll at the 1:57 mark. When play resumed, Atlanta deployed a prevent defense with six defensive backs. Against a three-man rush, Bobby fired to
Martin, who went out of bounds at the Falcon 36. But the next throw went into tight coverage to CB Tim McKyer. Instead of falling down to clinch the victory, the former 49ers DB flipped a lateral back to Sanders who raced into Saints territory. As he was being tackled from behind, Deion flipped the ball sideways to Joe Fishback, who ran untouched into the end zone. ABC announcer Dan Dierdorf called the laterals "two of the stupidest plays I've seen in a long time." As it turned out, the second lateral went forward and the touchdown was negated.
Hebert on the interception: "I got fooled. Eric had (Bobby) Butler beaten, but McKyer just peeled back into coverage. I didn't see him. I guess I should have." McKyer: "Their receiver was breaking outside. I just stepped in front of him and made the play. It was pretty easy."
When asked why he lateraled the ball to Sanders, McKyer replied, "Because I like to see Deion run." Glanville on the lateraling: "We practice that, but we don't practice it in that situation. I was just hoping for somebody normal to put the ball on the ground. So far, I haven't seen any normal people on this team."
Two kneel downs ran the Saints' playoff record to 0-3.
FINAL SCORE: FALCONS 27 SAINTS 20
Postgame
Saints Locker Room
Coach Mora: "It's disappointing to get to the playoffs and lose, but you have to look back at the rest of the season. I told the team I don't want one game to deter what they did this year. There are some positive things to look at."
When asked about the officiating, the Saints coach answered, "I'm not going to get into right now. I have not looked at the tape, and I'm certainly not going to question it at this point."
FB Buford Jordan: "Execution was the bigggest thing. We didn't execute our offense as well as they executed their defense. They were swarming around the football like we knew they would, but we didn't stay with our blocks as long as we should have."
LB Sam Mills reflected on the defeat. "It really hasn't hit yet. It'll probably hit me when I'm watching the Falcons on TV next week. That's when it will eat away at me."
Falcons Locker Room
Coach Glanville called the matchup "an unbelievable game. What you saw was two good teams playing as hard as they can play. The defense did a great job against their rush. Their average (3.0 per carry) wasn't much. We shut them down, and that's what we figured we had to do."
S Scott Case said the Falcons made subtle adjustments in their pass coverage during the game. "We played a little more zone, so that means we mixed it up some. Their third-down adjustments were off man defense. We played more zone on that down."
