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A closer look at the New Orleans Saints' NFC South game against the Atlanta Falcons tonight at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The game kicks off at 7:30 p.m.

FALCONS (9-5) at SAINTS (11-3)

Coaches: Sean Payton (60-34 in six seasons, all with Saints); Mike Smith (42-20 in four seasons, all with Falcons).

TV: ESPN, WDSU.

Radio: 870-AM, 105.3-FM, 830-AM (Spanish broadcast).

KEEP AN EYE ON ...

THE RED-HOT QUARTERBACKS

As you might have read, Saints quarterback Drew Brees is 305 yards shy of breaking Dan Marino's single-season passing record of 5,084 yards heading into tonight's game.

But more important for this specific matchup, Brees is locked in. He's playing as well as he ever has in his career, and that's saying a lot.

Over the past five games, Brees has passed for 1,776 yards with 16 touchdowns and zero interceptions. He has thrown for at least 322 yards in each of those five games. As usual, he'll be the best player on the field tonight, which trumps every other matchup between these heated rivals.

On the flip side, Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan also has shined. Over the past two games, Ryan has thrown for 544 yards with seven touchdowns and zero interceptions. Over the past five games, he has thrown for 12 touchdowns with just two interceptions, while leading Atlanta to four wins.

ESPN.com moved Ryan up to fifth place on its MVP Watch this week as he quietly has continued his steady growth in his fourth NFL season. Ryan is on pace to throw for more than 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns this season. And he's tied with Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco with 42 career wins -- most by a quarterback in his first four seasons in the Super Bowl era.

"He's definitely a guy that we feel is a great player," New Orleans Coach Sean Payton said of Ryan. "He has that size that you look for. He's very intelligent, and they ask him to do a lot at the line of scrimmage. He has a quick release, he's hard to sack, and he has that athleticism where he can make plays moving to his right or his left.

"And I think he's provided that leadership to put that program in a position it hasn't been in a while, much like Drew has done for us."

THE KICKERS

This game likely will come down to a kick by the Saints' John Kasay or the Falcons' Matt Bryant -- or both of them.

The last four games in this series were decided by three points, including the Saints' 26-23 overtime victory on Nov. 13 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

In that game, Kasay made four of five field-goal attempts, including the winning 26-yarder in overtime. That came after Bryant's 27-yarder forced overtime as time expired in the fourth quarter.

The Saints lost a critical Week 3 matchup to Atlanta at the Superdome last season when Garrett Hartley missed a 29-yard field goal in overtime.

Kasay and Bryant should be up to the task tonight because the veterans have had impressive seasons. Kasay has made 26 of 32 field-goal attempts in his first season with the Saints. He had made seven in a row before missing a 50-yarder late last week at Minnesota.

Bryant has been even better, making 23 of 25 field-goal attempts.

KEY MATCHUP

SAINTS LT JERMON BUSHROD VS. FALCONS DE JOHN ABRAHAM

Saints left tackle Jermon Bushrod has had another quietly impressive season.

He has allowed only three sacks, including a shutout last week against the NFL's sack leader, Vikings defensive end Jared Allen. The Saints also held the Falcons without a sack in their Week 10 matchup.

Atlanta veteran John Abraham, however, has played his best football the past month after recovering from a nagging groin injury he suffered in Week 2. Abraham, 6 feet 3, 263 pounds, was chosen NFC Defensive Player of the Week last week after tormenting the Jacksonville Jaguars with 3.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. Abraham now has 8.5 sacks this season.

"He's been a consistent pain in the rear for a long time," Payton said of Abraham, a 12-year veteran who has 111 sacks in his career. "When you watch his recent games, he's a guy that can really change the outcome of your offensive production. ... You're not converting the third downs you normally convert because it's someone who has that speed and power. He's playing very well."

The Falcons' other defensive end, veteran Ray Edwards, also has played better lately after recovering from a summer knee injury. He has 1.5 sacks over the past two games.

Atlanta would love to generate a pass rush with just its four-man line, so the Falcons can drop everyone else back in coverage -- but that didn't work for them in the previous meeting.

GAME PLAN

This game is exactly why the Falcons paid so much to trade up and draft receiver Julio Jones in April.

The dynamic rookie has made Atlanta much harder to defend, giving it twin big-play threats in Jones and receiver Roddy White.

"You look in the long run, they wanted to have more explosive plays this year, and they've got 'em, New Orleans defensive coordinator Gregg Williams said. "They've had 'em, and it's a big part of the game. It's going to be a battle of big plays. Can Drew or Matt Ryan, who can create the most big plays? And we obviously had to change our approach to how we play them this year because of him being here. He's a very good, young talent."

The Falcons also have one of the league's best power-running games, led by tailback Michael Turner. They also have one of the NFL's most reliable possession receivers in tight end Tony Gonzalez.

To add even another dimension, Atlanta has increased its use of the no-huddle offense to limit defenses' substituting.

The Saints didn't have to worry much about Jones last time since he left early with a hamstring injury -- but he's back in peak form. The past two games, he caught eight passes for 189 yards and three touchdowns.

New Orleans simply can't roll its coverage to one receiver or the other to prevent a big play -- something that has been an issue for the Saints.

As potent as the Falcons' passing game has become, linebacker Jonathan Vilma said the first priority with Atlanta is always stopping the run. Turner began the week ranked third in the NFL with 1,129 rushing yards.

BY THE NUMBERS

Atlanta leads the all-time series 45-39, but the Saints are gaining fast. The Saints are 9-2 since Payton arrived in the Crescent City in 2006.
The Saints have won six consecutive "Monday Night Football" games, the longest active streak in the NFL, according to ESPN.com. They've beaten Atlanta four times in a row on Monday night, dating to the 2006 season.
New Orleans tight end Jimmy Graham is on pace to break a yardage record that's even older than Marino's passing record. He needs 120 yards to break the all-time mark by a tight end, 1,290 yards, which was set by Kellen Winslow in 1980.
New Orleans tailback Darren Sproles and Falcons tailback Jacquizz Rodgers are tied as two of the shortest players in the NFL at 5-6.