Saints stay undefeated on Monday night

NEW ORLEANS -- Every time Drew Brees and the Saints' potent offense stumbles, New Orleans' resurgent defense is right there to pick up the slack.

The Saints intercepted three Matt Ryan passes, with Jabari Greer returning one 48 yards for the club's sixth defensive touchdown this season, and New Orleans stayed perfect with a 35-27 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night.

"Obviously, the defense is playing great," Brees said. "They're doing a great job of taking the ball away. Our scoring defense has been unbelievable. They've had the ability to create momentum for our side of the ball."

It's no wonder the Saints have matched the best start in franchise history at 7-0, something only the 1991 Saints had done before.

Greer's touchdown was the Saints' fifth score on an interception this season, tying a single-season franchise mark set in 1998. The Saints have at least one interception in every game this season and a total of 16, one more than they had all of last season.

"The way we've been able to (get turnovers) and score is a big reason we're where we're at right now," Saints coach Sean Payton said.

Tracy Porter's interception on the Saints' 1-yard line, on a pass tipped by Jonathan Vilma, preserved a 28-24, fourth-quarter lead after Pierre Thomas' fumble had given Atlanta the ball at the Saints' 35.

Still, the Falcons stayed in it until the end, getting a 40-yard field goal from Jason Elam with 28 seconds left, then recovering an onside kick. Ryan only had time for a desperation heave in the final seconds, and Darren Sharper turned it into his seventh interception of the season.

With big plays on both sides of the ball, New Orleans has been able to get away with committing four turnovers against Miami and Atlanta in back-to-back weeks and still come away triumphant.

The Falcons, by contrast, have lost two straight for the first time under second-year coach Mike Smith in large part because they couldn't overcome their mistakes.

Ryan has now been intercepted at least twice in three straight games, but Smith said he's "not concerned at all."

"We're going to be judged on 16 games -- not one game and not three games," he said.

Summary, Page C5