Coach Mike Smith has led the Atlanta Falcons to the playoffs in three of his four seasons.

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Coach Mike Smith has led the Atlanta Falcons to the playoffs in three of his four seasons.

Right now, he couldn’t care less.

Smith spent Tuesday trying to find answers for major breakdowns following the Falcons’ blowout loss the night before in New Orleans.

A 45-16 defeat left him determined to fix these problems before the postseason begins in two weeks.

The Falcons (9-6) host Tampa Bay (4-11) in the regular-season finale on Sunday and will learn later that day where they will travel to open the playoffs.

But Smith has more immediate concerns after watching his team lose badly to the Saints.

“We did not match their physicality,” Smith said, “and I don’t think we played real smart either.”

Atlanta’s offense, which had scored a combined 72 points in the previous two games, was inconsistent:

n Before the score was lopsided, the Falcons had to settle for field goals on three red zone possessions and went three-and-out both times the defense picked off Saints quarterback Drew Brees.

n Running back Michael Turner, the NFL’s sixth-leading rusher, finished with 39 yards on 11 carries.

n Rookie receiver Julio Jones lost a fourth-quarter fumble that New Orleans’ Malcolm Jenkins returned for a 30-yard touchdown that put the game out of reach.

The Falcons’ defense was worse:

n New Orleans, which leads the NFL in third down rate, converted its first nine chances and finished 10-for-13 as Atlanta failed to match the Saints’ frenetic substitution patterns.

n The Falcons were a mess in the red zone, allowing four touchdowns in six opportunities. It seemed appropriate that Brees ended the night by setting the league’s single-season passing record with a 9-yard TD pass on second-and-goal.

n And after falling to 2-6 against New Orleans in his tenure as Atlanta’s coach, Smith was frustrated by his team’s inability to pressure Brees consistently. He was only sacked once.

“We had a couple of opportunities with blitzes in which we had some free runners at them and we did not make the play,” he said.

“But our pass rush was not what it needs to be. You can’t give that guy time if you’re playing matchup coverages, man coverages and if he gets time, those guys are going to get open. That was the case on a number of occasions.”

With so much at stake in the division, right end John Abraham never believed the Falcons would begin the night playing timidly on defense.

But even though a win over New Orleans would’ve given Atlanta the chance to win the NFC South and host a playoff game, Abraham wondered if his team was overly confident after beating Jacksonville 41-14 the week before.

“I don’t know why we came out a little sluggish, but we did,” Abraham said. “And in the end they got the momentum and held onto it.”

Whether the Falcons have some kind of identity crisis remains to be seen. They had won four of five since losing in overtime to New Orleans six weeks ago, but have just two victories this season over teams with winning records (Detroit and Tennessee).

Tampa Bay, which visits the Georgia Dome on Sunday, isn’t likely to give Atlanta much of a gauge. The Buccaneers have lost nine straight and are coming off a 32-point road loss at Carolina.

Smith promises, though, that he will keep his team focused on Tampa Bay and not on the playoffs. Atlanta is 0-2 in the postseason during his tenure.

“I can assure you that for our organization, our goal is not just to make the playoffs,” Smith said.

“Our goals are much higher than that, and we have a roadmap that you have to follow to get there, meaning that you’ve got games to play and we didn’t play very good last night. I think it is a humbling experience for all of us because we didn’t play Atlanta Falcon football like we know we’re capable of playing.”

For two consecutive weeks the New Orleans Saints defense has faced accusations from its opponent of dirty play. Atlanta Falcons running back Michael Turner says that’s not an element of Saints play he’s familiar with. “Nah, typical football game,” he said. “There’s going to be some physical-ness, some pushing, some shoving. It might get a little chippy out there with the rivalry and all the emotions that are going into this ballgame. But you’ve got to just stay focused and do your job and try to do what’s best for your team.”

The Saints (11-3) and the Falcons (9-5), the premier teams in the NFC South the last few seasons, have seen three consecutive games decided by a field goal, two of them in overtime. Turner said that kind of closeness reflects the intensity of the rivalry.

“We know the Saints are going to be there, in the running every year,” he said. “We know we’re going to play the Saints twice; we’re going to try to get the best seeds possible in the playoffs.”

Turner also said the Falcons did not dwell on their failed fourth-down attempt in overtime against the Saints in Atlanta on Nov. 13 that gave New Orleans the ball in Falcons territory and led to John Kasay’s 26-yard winning field goal.

“I don’t think it was difficult at all,” he said when asked how the team put the ending behind it. “It was one of those things that Coach (Mike Smith) decided to do. We moved on from that and I believe we won our next ballgame, too. So that’s behind us.” 

There won’t be much in this game that the New Orleans Saints haven’t seen from Atlanta, and vice versa. The teams know each other very well and are bound to play a close game. With both teams playing at a high level, it is becoming one of the most recognizable rivalries league-wide.

This time around, the Saints are playing for a chance to clinch the NFC South championship for the second time in three seasons and the third time under Coach Sean Payton. A New Orleans victory would also keep intact that no team in NFC South history has won back-to-back division crowns.

Payton has had much success against the Falcons, going 9-2 against the Dirty Birds since becoming the Saints’ coach in 2006, and New Orleans has taken five of the past six meetings. The Saints look to have an advantage because the game is being played on Monday night. The teams have played five times on “Monday Night Football,” and the Saints are 4-1. This is the third consecutive season the teams are playing on “MNF.”

FALCONS OFFENSE

Matt Ryan passed for 351 yards the last time they met, but historically Ryan hasn’t been at his best against the Saints. In six career starts against New Orleans, Ryan is 2-4, and the Saints are one of the two teams Ryan has played more than once against whom he doesn’t have a winning record (Philadelphia is the other).

Still, Ryan is having a career season and has more than receiver Roddy White to thank for it. In the offseason, the Falcons gave up a lot in the draft to get Julio Jones, and the rookie receiver is paying off. He has 42 catches for 755 yards and five touchdowns and is developing into a deep threat. And Tony Gonzalez, the ageless wonder at tight end, is second on the team in receptions (74), yards (755) and touchdown catches (seven).

White is again looking like one of the top receivers in the game. He has had three 100-yard receiving games in his past five after having just one such game in his first nine. In his past five games, White has 38 receptions for 537 yards and five touchdowns. He had 10 catches for 135 yards and two scores in last week’s 41-14 win against Jacksonville. He’s third in the league in catches (85), eighth in yards (1,100) and ninth in touchdowns (eight).

But running back Michael Turner is still the key figure in the Falcons’ attack. In Atlanta’s nine wins this season, Turner has averaged 90.3 yards per game and scored eight touchdowns. However, in the Falcons’ five losses, he only has averaged 63.2 yards per game and scored one touchdown. Taking out a 10-carry, 100-yard performance in Week 1 against Chicago, Turner is only averaging 3.4 yards per carry in the losses. Turner did rush for 96 yards the last time he played the Saints.

FALCONS DEFENSE

John Abraham is coming off one of his best games after posting 3.5 sacks and two forced fumbles against the Jaguars. He was the NFC Defensive Player of the Week. Abraham needs just 1.5 sacks to have his seventh season of 10 sacks or more. He anchors a defense that is ninth in the league in yards allowed per game and fourth against the run. The Saints struggled in this aspect last game, gaining only 41 yards.

Sean Witherspoon, a player many Saints fans coveted in the 2010 draft, has 107 tackles and is tied with Lawrence Sidbury for second on the team, with four sacks. Curtis Lofton leads the team in tackles with 124, fifth in the league. Lofton finished with nine tackles against the Saints last time and has made 10 or more tackles six times.

Atlanta’s secondary is primed to get a boost, as Brent Grimes and Kelvin Hayden are looking to return from injury. Grimes has missed three games because of a knee injury, and Hayden has been out since Nov. 20 with a toe injury. Grimes has one interception but leads the team with 12 pass deflections.

FALCONS SPECIAL TEAMS

Eric Weems was one of the best return men in the league last season but has been mediocre this season, as the Falcons rank 18th in punt-return and kick-return averages. Weems is averaging 23.3 yards per kick return and 9.9 yards per punt return and has yet to return one for a touchdown.

Kicker Matt Bryant has been a steady force this season. After making 90.3 percent of his field-goal attempts last season, Bryant is hitting 92 percent (23-of-25) this season. Bryant, who once kicked a 62-yarder with Tampa Bay, has a long this season of 50.

Matt Bosher has placed 26 punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line, sixth-most in the NFL. He’s averaging 42.1 yards per punt and a 39.1 net averag,e and only three of his punts have been touchbacks. Opponents are only averaging 4.7 yards a return against Atlanta this season.

LAST TIME THEY MET

Nov. 13, 2011, Georgia Dome

John Kasay kicked a 26-yard field goal in overtime to give the Saints a 26-23 victory. New Orleans seemingly had things in control when Kasay kicked a 44-yarder to give the Saints a 23-13 lead with 7:13 remaining, but the Falcons stormed back. Ryan threw a career-high 52 passes for 351 yards and two touchdowns. Harry Douglas gave the Saints’ defense fits and finished with eight receptions for 133 yards. Saints safety Roman Harper finished with a season-high 13 tackles, including a sack, two tackles for losses and one pass deflection and was credited with two quarterback hits. 

The Atlanta Falcons crushed the Jacksonville Jaguars 41-14 on Thursday, December 15. The win ensured the Falcons that they would have a winning season for the fourth straight year. That continues the best run in franchise history. The game was also historic for running back Michael Turner. Turner picked up his 48^th rushing touchdown as a member of the team. That ties him for the most in franchise history. Here is a look at the top five Atlanta Falcons in terms of rushing touchdowns.

Michael Turner – 48

After spending a few seasons backing up LaDanian Tomlinson with the San Diego Chargers, Turner was signed as the feature back in Atlanta after the 2007 season. He has been a star since joining the team. Turner ran for 17 touchdowns in his first season with the Falcons. He has nine through 14 games in 2011. If he gets one more, it will be the fourth straight season in which he has double digit rushing touchdowns.

Gerald Riggs – 48

Riggs spent seven seasons in Atlanta between and 1982 and 1988. He picked up 48 rushing touchdowns during that time. Riggs was never quite as spectacular as Turner. His career high single season total was 13 in 1984. He only reached double digits one other time when he ran for 10 touchdowns in 1985.

Jamal Anderson – 34

Anderson played with the Falcons from 1994 through 2001. He had a couple of big season in terms of rushing yards but only one season stood out in the touchdown category. In 1998, Anderson scored 14 touchdowns on the ground. That went a long way in helping the Falcons reach their first Super Bowl.

T.J. Duckett – 31

Duckett had 31 rushing touchdowns in four seasons with the Falcons. He was never the featured running back but his size helped him become a force in the red zone. He had 11 touchdowns in 2004 and eight in each of the following two seasons. Duckett never ran for more than 800 yards in any of his seasons with the team.

Warrick Dunn and William Andrews – 30

Dunn spent six seasons with the Falcons and had 30 rushing touchdowns. He never had a season with a double digit total. Meanwhile, Andrews reached the Pro Bowl four times in his five seasons with the Falcons. His best year came in 1981 when he ran for more than 1,300 yards and had 10 touchdowns.

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