Falcons fall 3 yards short of rally, lose to Saints, 23-17

Matt Ryan opens season with 304 passing yards and 2 touchdowns

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) is dragged to the ground by Atlanta Falcons defensive end Osi Umenyiora (50) and defensive end Kroy Biermann (71) after passing under pressure in the first half of Sunday's game in New Orleans. - photo by Bill Feig | Associated Press

0909Falcons1 — New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) is dragged to the ground by Atlanta Falcons defensive end Osi Umenyiora (50) and defensive end Kroy Biermann (71) after passing under pressure in the first half of Sunday's game in New Orleans. - photo by Bill Feig | Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS — Just like last season, Matt Ryan had the Atlanta Falcons achingly close to a late go-ahead touchdown against New Orleans at the Superdome. Once again, they could not finish the deal. Rookie safety Kenny Vaccaro deflected Ryan's fourth-down throw for tight end Tony Gonzalez into the hands of safety Roman Harper for the clinching interception in the end zone with 43 seconds left.

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