FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- The Falcons face a pivotal matchup against the New Orleans Saints on Thursday night, allowing them only a short week of preparation before the rivalry game.
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This is the first meeting between the two division foes, who have long had one of the NFL's best rivalries. The Saints (9-3) are currently atop the NFC South, while the Falcons (7-5) are right in the thick of the NFC playoff race. With only four games remaining, Thursday provides Atlanta with a great opportunity to gain ground in both the division and playoff standings.
HOW TO WATCH
- What:New Orleans Saints (9-3) vs. Atlanta Falcons (7-5)
- When: Thursday, Dec. 7, 8:25 p.m. ET
- Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
- TV:NBC, NFL Network
- Announcers:Play-by-play – Mike Tirico, color analyst – Cris Collinsworth
- Online: NFL Game Pass (out-of-market games can be viewed live) and Amazon Prime stream
- Radio: 92.9 The Game is the Falcons' official radio network. For a list of radio affiliates outside of Atlanta, click here. Fans who also have Sirius or XM Radio can find a list of NFL games, here.
For a full map of every NFL broadcast this weekend, and which games will be available in certain areas, *click here. *
Weather forecast
Here's the current forecast for Thursday, according to The Weather Channel:
- Cloudy
- High/low: 50/34
- 0 percent chance of precipitation
- 54 percent humidity
Injury updates
There Falcons received good news on Monday, when coach Dan Quinn announced starting cornerback Desmond Trufant was out of the concussion protocol and would return to practice. Unfortunately, Atlanta will still be down at least one starter as left guard Andy Levitre was ruled out for the game with a triceps injury. Here is Atlanta's full injury report from Tuesday's practice:
- OL Andy Levitre (triceps) – did not participate
- CB Brian Poole (back) – limited
- TE Eric Saubert (back) – did not participate
The Saints are banged up heading into Thursday night, and the short week may not do them any favors on that front. Here is New Orleans' full injury report from Tuesday:
- OL Terron Armstead (thigh/shoulder) – limited
- CB Ken Crawley (abdomen) – limited
- DE Trey Hendrickson (knee) – limited
- RB Mark Ingram (toe) – did not participate
- LB A.J. Klein (groin) – limited
- CB Marshon Lattimore (ankle) – limited
- OL Andrus Peat (groin) – did not participate
- S Marcus Williams (groin) – limited
- CB P.J. Williams (shoulder) – limited
