Run defense issues highlight total breakdown for Saints

NEW ORLEANS (AP) >> Atlanta’s Calvin Ridley raced around left end for 19 yards on the first play Sunday against the Saints.

That’s how fast the game against the Falcons developed a different feel from New Orleans’ six-game winning streak, which was stopped by a surprising 26-9 loss at home.

Ripley’s wide-open sprint set the tone for Atlanta. Although the Falcons did not run all over the Saints, they finished with 143 yards on 34 attempts.

The Saints had held five consecutive opponents below 100 yards rushing, limiting Dallas, Chicago and Arizona to 45 yards or fewer.

“We did a poor job of setting the edge,” coach Sean Payton said. “There were two or three runs that just went right around our support, whether that was in the secondary or a linebacker or the front. There were too many runs that went uncontested 5 to 10 yards into our defense, so we weren’t real sharp and got what we deserved.”

That was the consensus Monday. The Saints (7-2), who lead the NFC South by two games over Carolina, were not shying away from the reality of their lackluster performance coming off their bye week.

Even a normally dominant strength — run defense — was sorely lacking as the Falcons halted a sixgame skid.

“We see a lot of little things here and there that we need to correct, things we were doing previously to the bye and rolling,” defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins said. “It’s technique, fundamentals, toughness, everything. We’ll get back to that this week, and then we’ll be ready to go next Sunday.”

After Ridley’s burst, Atlanta had runs of 9, 12, 7, 15 and 10 yards against a defense that held Dallas’s Ezekiel Elliot to 25 yards on 18 attempts earlier this season. The Saints, who also allowed a season-high six sacks, did not stand up physically on either side of the ball, but they trailed only 13-9 at the start of the fourth quarter.

The lack of a finishing kick may have bothered quarterback Drew Brees the most.

“In that fourth quarter, we missed on three fourth downs or something like that,” he said Sunday. “Come on, that’s not us. We’re better than that.”

The key is to make sure the uncharacteristic performance doesn’t turn into a trend.

“It’s a long season,” cornerback Eli Apple said. “It can be a roller-coaster ride sometimes, but we know it’s on us. We have to come out better and more aggressive. They drove it down our throats on the first possession. That can’t happen again.”