The Saints strutted into the Georgia Dome, took the best shot the upstart Falcons could deliver and battled back to avenge a bitter overtime loss in September.
The Saints have enjoyed a lot of great wins in the Sean Payton-Drew Brees era, but few were more hard-fought or meaningful than this one.
The Saints not only secured a playoff berth ­-- their third in the past five seasons -- they also kept alive their slim hopes to earn a first-round postseason bye and the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC.
As road wins go, it ranks with the best in Saints history, right there with the 2006 win in Dallas, the 2000 shocker in St. Louis and the 1987 landmark victory in Pittsburgh.
The Falcons had won an NFL-high eight consecutive games and, at 12-2, were working their way toward one of the best records in the club's 45-year history. They'd already vanquished three potential playoff teams -- the Ravens, Packers and Buccaneers -- at the Georgia Dome this season.