The Falcons’ pass rush is bookended by two players capable of taking over a game, but Atlanta also has players in the middle capable of bringing down the quarterback. Often considered a run defender’s position, defensive tackle is a spot where the Falcons are getting a strong push in the pass-rush department. 

In last week’s win over the Colts, the two sacks the Falcons had came from an unlikely place.

Defensive tackles Jonathan Babineaux and Corey Peters brought down Indy’s Curtis Painter once each and had three pressures between the two of them.

The inside position of the defensive line is traditionally considered a run-stopping job, but Atlanta stresses the importance of getting a pass rush from their big guys in the middle. The inside pass rush helps compliment the outside end rush because the guys in the middle can impact an outside end’s ability to get to a fleeing quarterback.

Falcons head coach Mike Smith said Wednesday there’s no doubt they want their tackles rushing the passer.

“We want to be able to collapse the pocket inside and put some pressure up the outside,” Smith said.

Peters is responsible for a lot of Atlanta’s pass-rushing resurgence in recent weeks. In the Falcons’ last four games he has three sacks, including one in two straight games. He doesn’t deny it’s been a focus of the coaching staff and players and he thinks a rush from the inside may be one of the most critical things on gameday, especially against the Saints and Drew Brees.

“A lot of people would argue that inside pressure is a lot more important because a quarterback can see that when he’s on the field,” Peters said. “An outside rusher, it’s harder for him to see because it’s not in his direct vision. As an inside guy, if you win quickly, the quarterback has no option but to see you. It’s extremely important. It could be a deciding factor in the game so we’ve got to do our best to get to him.”

If Brees is seeing Peters, Babineaux and the other inside rushers for Atlanta, it’ll be a good thing. Pressure from them means hands in the air and a collapsing pocket. For the 6-foot tall Brees, it also means limited visibility.

Brees, a notorious fast worker, will want to look down the field as often he can. A quick inside rush from Atlanta will slow down the field scan for Brees and may force a mistake or two from the quarterback, who has 11 interceptions this season. With towering defenders over him, a few batted balls may occur as well.

“It’s extremely important, especially for a guy like (him), who likes to get the ball out pretty quick,” Peters said. “For a quarterback he’s short, but he’s not that short in reality. It’s always good to get pressure right in his face, get some hands up and make him uncomfortable.”

The height of Brees and his need to pass the ball quickly may explain why the Saints have invested heavily in two starting guards who are at the top of the game. Carl Nicks and Jahri Evans were both Pro Bowlers last season and for Evans, it was his second bid. The play of those two helps keep the Saints offense ticking.

“They’re very big up front but I think the strength is the two offensive guards,” Smith said. “They are big, strong men that have done a really good job.”

Peters knows Nicks and Evans present the biggest challenge of the season for the inside guys. They hope to win more one-on-ones than they lose. The familiarity with what they do is an advantage, but it goes both ways.

“They’re very good guards, probably the best we’ll see all year,” Peters said. “We’ve seen them before. We’re confident we know them pretty well. It’s going to be a battle for sure and we’ve definitely got to come to play and continue to work. They’re going to win some battles for sure, but we’ve got to do our best to win our share.”

A sack or two from the inside, a batted ball or a rushed pass turned into an interception is what Atlanta wants to see and that’ll mean Peters, Babineaux, Peria Jerry and Vance Walker are winning their share.

Third-Down Territory: Making things happen on third downs will be critical to the outcome against the Saints.

Currently, no one in the league is better than the Saints’ offense in converting third downs. Their conversion rate of 56 percent leads the entire league. Moving the chains is one of the keys to the New Orleans offense and they can do it in a variety of ways: go for big gains or chip away with the running game.

“It’s going to be a challenge for us,” Smith said. “The third downs for us are going to be key because they keep drives alive. … It’s a very potent offense that can not only throw the ball, but they run the ball very effectively as well. I think sometimes that gets overlooked. They’ve got four very good running backs and when they’re all healthy they can roll them in and play running back by committee, which creates some issues.”

On paper, the Falcons appear to have a hard time stopping teams with the drive on the line. Their ranking at 24th is a little misleading. Early in the season Atlanta struggled to stop opponents on the key down, but recently they’ve turned things around.

Against Detroit, they only allowed one third-down conversion out of 12 in the entire game. Against Indianapolis last week they allowed four of fourteen, and none in the second half of the game. Against those recent two opponents, that’s a 19 percent third-down conversion rate, a staggering number considering the best third-down defense in the NFL right now is Detroit at 29 percent.

The Falcons will need to continue that trend against the Saints and if they do, they’ll be forcing punts and not allowing scores, which plays exactly into what Atlanta wants.

Incidentally, the Falcons aren’t too bad at converting third downs on offense themselves. Their 45 percent puts them at No. 8 in the league.

Diminutive But Dominant: There may not be a more valuable offseason acquisition than New Orleans’ steal of Darren Sproles to replace former first-round running back Reggie Bush. Sproles, outside of Brees, may be the Saints’ most valuable player this season.

The knock on Sproles has always been his size, five-foot-six and 190 pounds, but he’s shown time and again that he’s able to take a beating. His first team in the NFL, San Diego, used him well, showcasing his many talents and contributions to the team. In 2008 he became only the second player in league history to rush for 50 yards, receive for 50 yards and have 100 return yards in a single game.

The all-purpose yards stat is Sproles expertise and this season he’s been remarkable at it. This season he’s the only player with a rushing touchdown (two), a receiving touchdown (three) and a return touchdown. Sproles  is unique because the Falcons have to be doubly concerned about him, watching for him on offense and covering him on returns.

“It’s going to be a challenge not only for Matt (Bosher), but our entire special teams,” Smith said. “Darren Sproles is a dynamic kickoff returner as well as punt returner. We’re going to have our hands full.”

The Saints showed last week they have a set of running backs that can contribute in different ways. They got all three backs involved and gained 195 yards on the ground, even though they were missing first-round pick Mark Ingram. Sproles had 42 yards on four carries but added 57 yards on five catches. On the season, Sproles is the team’s leading rusher with 347 yards.

“I think they’ve got a group of running backs that they can throw at you that have different skill sets and I think the guy that’s making a big difference for them is Darren Sproles,” Smith said. “When they put Darren in the ballgame, he can run between the tackles. They can split him out and get into a no-back set and he’s like a wide receiver. It creates mismatches.”

Injury Report: Rested veterans Todd McClure and John Abraham returned to full participation in practice on Thursday.

There was only one new addition to the injury report on Thursday, wide receiver Julio Jones was limited as he continues to work his way back from a hamstring injury.

Sam Baker and William Moore continue to not participate. Ray Edwards, Tony Gonzalez, Brent Grimes and Corey Peters were limited.

For the Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma, cornerback Patrick Robinson and defensive end Turk McBride continued to not practice. Wide receiver Lance Moore was added to the did not participate list on Thursday.

Cornerback Tracy Porter, running back Mark Ingram, tight end John Gilmore and running back Chris Ivory were all limited.

Tackle Jermon Bushrod returned to full participation after not practicing Wednesday.