Saints become first team to clinch playoff berth after win over Falcons

Dec. 6 (UPI) -- The New Orleans Saints became the first NFL team to secure a playoff spot this season following their win over the division rival Atlanta Falcons.

The Saints (10-2) held on for a 21-16 victory over Matt Ryan and the Falcons on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium to capture their ninth straight win. New Orleans officially clinched the postseason berth when the Chicago Bears suffered a 34-30 loss to the Detroit Lions.

The Saints need just one victory or one more loss by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-5) to win the NFC South title for the fourth consecutive year.

"It's definitely a blessing to be in this situation," Saints star wide receiver Michael Thomas said. "I feel like it's the culture that we've built since I've gotten here. We slowly built it, and we demand it now. We demand success, we demand excellence.

"... As long as we keep that mindset, with the coaches that we have and the skill set we have on offense, defense and special teams, we're a very dominant team. And everyone knows that."

Saints quarterback Taysom Hill, who was filling in for injured starter Drew Brees for the third straight game, completed 27 of his 37 pass attempts for 232 yards, including the first two touchdown passes of his NFL career. He added 14 rushes for 83 yards against the Falcons.

Alvin Kamara had 88 rushing yards and one touchdown on 15 carries. Thomas caught nine passes for 105 yards on 11 targets.

Ryan was 19 of 39 for 273 yards and one touchdown for the Falcons, who will fail to record a winning season for the third consecutive year. Atlanta (4-8) finished at 7-9 in each of the past two seasons.

"They're a good defense, that's for sure," Ryan said of the Saints. "We needed to be in more third-and-shorts to give us better opportunities."

Ito Smith saw a larger workload due to a hobbled Todd Gurley and led the Falcons with eight carries for 36 yards. Calvin Ridley had five receptions for a team-best 108 yards, and Julio Jones recorded six catches for 94 yards.

The Saints will travel to play the Philadelphia Eagles next Sunday, while the Falcons will hit the road to face the Los Angeles Chargers.