Clancy, a 10th-year player in his third season with the Saints, played in two games and was inactive for five others because of the injury.

Pressley, a second-year lineman out of North Carolina State, was selected by the Saints in the fifth round of the 2008 draft. The 6-foot-3, 301-pounder spent his rookie season on injured reserve rehabbing a foot injury suffered early in training camp.

“We did a lot of things well and yet we did a lot of things that made it close at the end,” coach Sean Payton said. “I’m excited to win though. I’m excited to win this game and get to 7-0. It was an important game against a division team and I’m proud of our players. They fought.”

Drew Brees had another big night, throwing for 308 yards and two scores. He quickly rallied the team after the Falcons quickly scored on a Michael Turner run to make it 7-0. Then after a big defensive touchdown the Saints again quickly scored, wiping out what was a Falcons lead.

Matt Ryan had a rather tough night against the Saints, throwing three picks, the third game in a row he has thrown at least two picks. “I’m not concerned at all,” coach Mike Smith said of his second-year quarterback. “We’re going to be judged on 16 games. Not one game and not three games.”

The Saints are 7-0, the last time they did that was the 1991 season. Atlanta’s second consecutive loss dropped the Falcons (4-3) three games behind the Saints in the NFC South. It marked the first time the Falcons had lost two straight under second-year coach Smith.

The Saints placed Evans on injured reserve, Payton said Thursday, because of a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament tear that occurred in last Sunday’s comeback victory in Miami.

“That’s tough,” quarterback Drew Brees said. “Heath was not only a real productive player, but he’s an awesome guy—an awesome locker room guy, great for that running backs room.

“Heath was just a real good influence on everybody,” Brees continued. “He has told me that he wants to be around as much as possible. … Hopefully he will be around and I know he will be.”

Payton said Evans had surgery on Thursday.

“I’ve been putting pressure on it and trying to walk on it a little bit,” he said after the game. “We’ll have to see Monday.” The Saints are already without starting nose tackle Kendrick Clancy, who hasn’t played since the first game because of a right knee injury.

Fullback Heath Evans hurt his right leg late in the game.

Sunday’s game between the New Orleans Saints and Miami Dolphins was a game of two halves. The first half was one that the Saints would have just soon forgot existed as first downs seemed as elusive as a desert mirage; as a result, New Orleans found themselves down by 21 early in the second half. Then they woke up. They would score 36 second half points as they rallied to defeat the pesky Dolphins 46-34 at Land Shark Stadium.

Things were bumpy initially for New Orleans as by their fifth offensive play, they had committed three penalties. Miami would capitalize as running back Williams scored twice in the opening period from 4 and 68 yards – sandwiching a 46-yard field goal by Saints kicker John Carney – giving the Dolphins a 10-7 lead going into the second quarter.

The scoring for Miami would continue as a 32-yard FG by kicker Dan Carpenter followed by an 8-yard TD run by Ronnie Brown would pad their lead to 24-3; Saints quarterback Drew Brees would punch it in from a yard out, narrowing their deficit to 24-10 with 2 ticks left in the first half.

The third quarter found both teams exchanging scores as New Orleans safety Darren Sharper grabbed a Chad Henne interception and scored from 42 yards, narrowing Miami’s lead to 24-17; Carpenter would kick a 33-yard FG 8 minutes later, giving the Dolphins a 27-17 edge. Brees would connect with wide receiver Marques Colston on a 10-yard scoring pass, reducing their deficit to 3 with 1:09 left in the period. But Williams would score another rushing TD from 4 yards out, extending Miami’s lead to 34-24 going into the fourth quarter. That’s when the Saints would explode.

They would score 22 unanswered points in the final period as RB Reggie Bush dashed into the end zone from 10 yards out (very acrobatic, I might add); Brees would run in for a score at the 8:35 mark of the game, giving New Orleans their first lead of the game. Carney would boot a 20-yard chip shot then defense would get involved as cornerback Tracy Porter took a Henne intereception 54 yards for a score, sealing the win for the Saints.

Brees, despite the win, had his worst game of the season, going 22-of-38 for 298 with a passing TD but 3 INTs but also rushing for 2 scores; Henne didn’t do any better as he went 18-of-36 for 211 yards and a pair of INTs. Mike Bell led all Saints rushers with 80 yards on just 12 carries while Williams led the Dolphins’ rushing attack with 80 yards and 3 TDs; Ronnie Brown added 48 yards and a score.

Tight end Jeremy Shockey led all Saints receivers with 4 receptions for 105 yards while Colston caught 5 passes for 72 yards and a score; Devery Henderson caught 4 passes for 71 yards. Brian Hartline led the Miami receiving corps with 3 receptions for 94 yards while Greg Camarillo added 55 yards on 5 receptions. The Saints won the game with a price as defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis was forced to leave the game in the second quarter with a sprained right knee. New Orleans (6-0) looks to remain undefeated as they return home to host division rival Atlanta next Monday night while Miami (2-4) goes to New York next Sunday to face the Jets.

But don’t expect the New Orleans Saints to change what’s led to their 5-0 start this season.

That’s because head coach Sean Payton is unlikely to limit prolific quarterback Drew Brees’ involvement in his offense.

Even Bush, one of the Saints’ most explosive and versatile running backs, saw no reason to do so, despite the fun he had with the formation. Bush received extensive work on the scout team as the Saints prepare to play Sunday against the Dolphins, the team that runs the wildcat more consistently and effectively than any other.

“I think our offense is OK,” Bush said, grinning at his understatement regarding an offense that led the NFL last season and ranks No. 1 so far this year. “I don’t think we need to try to fix anything.”

In the wildcat formation, a running back takes a direct shotgun snap and has the option of running, handing off or even throwing, although passes are not as common. Payton spoke at length about the formation this week, discussing how it effectively helps the offense gain a blocker because there is no traditional quarterback on the field.

Bush said he rarely worked on the scout team in 2008 but was eager to take the extra work in practice this week.

“We wanted to give our defense the best look, if not try to make it harder so that they’re prepared for what they’re going to see,” Bush said. “The Dolphins run the wildcat very well.”

Knowing they would have to play Miami this season, and suspecting that more teams might give the formation a try, the Saints have been practicing defending against the wildcat since offseason workouts started last spring, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams said after Thursday’s practice.

“We’re trying not to get caught off guard, so every single week, every single practice schedule since I’ve been here, we’ve had a version of the wildcat,” Williams said. “Are we good enough? We’ll see.”

Bush said he didn’t see his success running out of the formation as a reason for the Saints to be alarmed at how they might do against Ronnie Brown —or former Saint Ricky Williams, who often takes the handoff from Brown.

“You want to break (big runs) now as opposed to during the game so they can see what we need to clean up,” Bush said.