Steelers’ Shazier undergoes surgery on spine

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier had surgery on Wednesday night to stabilize his spine.

The team announced on Thursday that Drs. David Okonkwo and Joseph Maroon performed the surgery after Shazier was transferred from a hospital in Cincinnati to one in Pittsburgh. The Steelers had no update on Shazier's condition.

Shazier, a 25-year-old out of Ohio State, suffered the injury while hitting Cincinnati's Josh Malone in the first quarter of Pittsburgh's 23-20 victory over the Bengals on Monday night. Shazier motioned to his lower back immediately following the hit and was taken off the field on a stretcher.

With the Steelers, backup Arthur Moats set about getting familiar with Shazier's spot at inside linebacker.

It's a position Moats hardly considers "his" for the rest of the season.

"If they say that's the best thing for him, we're all for it," Moats said. "Admittedly that's our brother. You're always nervous seeing him go down on Monday and at the end of the day we're just praying for him."

Moats will line up next to Vince Williams on Sunday when the Steelers (10-2) look to clinch the AFC North against the Baltimore Ravens (7-5).

Moats moved frequently between inside and outside linebacker after the Buffalo Bills took him in the sixth round of the 2010 draft but has worked exclusively on the outside since signing with Pittsburgh in 2014. That changed this week, when the coaches called him on Tuesday and told him to get ready to move inside.

Falcons edge Saints

Deion Jones made a leaping interception in the end zone with 1:25 remaining and host Atlanta held on for a crucial 20-17 victory over New Orleans on Thursday night, setting up a three-way race for the NFC South title along with Carolina (8-4).

Matt Ryan shook off three interceptions to guide the Falcons (8-5) to Matt Bryant's 52-yard field goal with 3:49 to go, snapping a 17-all tie. The Saints (9-4) were in position to pull out the victory, driving to the Atlanta 11 after Drew Brees converted on fourth-and-1 with a quarterback sneak. On second down, Brees attempted to hit tight end Josh Hill in the back of the end zone but Jones grabbed the pick.

Brees completed 26 of 35 passes for 271 yards and two touchdowns, and former Ohio State receiver Michael Thomas had 10 catches for 117 yards and a 1-yard score that gave the Saints a 17-10 lead in the third quarter. Ryan finished 15 of 27 for 221 yards and a TD pass.