Atlanta, Ga. -- Drew Brees threw for 349 yards and two touchdowns, leading the New Orleans Saints to a 31-13 victory over the reeling Atlanta Falcons in a big NFC South matchup at the Georgia Dome.

Brees completed 21-of-30 passes, including a Hail Mary for a score at the end of the first half, and was not intercepted. His favorite target was Devery Henderson, who caught four passes for 158 yards and a touchdown.

The Saints (7-4), playing without standout rookie receiver Marques Colston because of an ankle injury, snapped a two-game losing streak and moved into sole possession of first place in the NFC South. They started the day tied with Carolina, but the Panthers lost at Washington on Sunday.

"This is a great win coming off two losses," said Brees. "Being on the road is one thing, against a divisional opponent is another. It's like a triple-whammy to come and get a win like this. This team is gaining momentum and will make a late run and play well down the stretch."

Atlanta (5-6) had hopes of tightening the division race even more, but instead suffered its fourth straight loss to fall two games behind the Saints.

"Obviously a bitter defeat for us," said Falcons head coach Jim Mora. "There's not a lot more that I can say. Right now we are struggling and I told these guys to hang in there. There are problems and we just have to get them fixed."

Michael Vick had a miserable day throwing the ball for the Falcons, completing just 9-of-24 passes for only 84 yards. However, he did run for 166 yards on 12 carries.

"We just have to keep fighting," said Vick. "We have to show some resolve."

Jerious Norwood added 54 yards on 13 carries and Warrick Dunn chipped in 52 yards with a touchdown on 19 attempts in defeat, as Atlanta finished with 281 yards on the ground.

The Saints scored on their first two possessions to open a 14-0 lead and the Falcons never really recovered.

On the third play after the opening kickoff, Brees hit Henderson in stride between defenders for a 76-yard touchdown.

"We knew we had to come out and get a little momentum in the game," Henderson said. "It kind of helped us out pretty good."

The Falcons drove to the New Orleans 25 with their first series, but Morten Andersen missed a 43-yard field goal try and the Saints marched 67 yards the other way for another touchdown.

Deuce McAllister broke off a 30-yard run on the first play and capped the seven-play set with a one-yard scoring run. He finished the game with 71 yards on 20 carries.

Vick then put Atlanta inside the New Orleans 10 with a dazzling 51-yard run, but the Saints forced a 22-yard field goal from Andersen to make it a 14-3 game with 1:14 left in the first period.

The Falcons mounted another scoring drive midway through the second period, again keyed by three scrambles from Vick -- including one that converted a short fourth down. However, Atlanta again came up short of the goal line, despite a first down at the New Orleans seven, and a sack of Vick on third down forced a 30-yard field goal from Andersen with 1:11 to play in the half.

New Orleans quickly moved to midfield in the final minute, thanks to a 27-yard pass from Brees to Henderson on 3rd-and-7, then a desperation heave from Brees found its way into the hands of Terrance Copper amid five Atlanta defensive backs for a 48-yard touchdown as time expired, sending the Saints into the break with a 21-6 advantage.

"How are you supposed to catch a Hail Mary?" Copper questioned. "The ball just fell into my hands. I think it gave us a boost."

The Falcons, meanwhile, were booed on their way to the locker room, then had a couple of chances to make it a game in the second half.

After a series of punts to start the third quarter, the Falcons used a 43-yard connection from Vick to Alge Crumpler to set up a first down at the New Orleans one-yard line. It was anything but easy from there, as two Dunn carries sandwiched around a Vick incomplete pass brought up fourth down. Dunn, though, crashed into the end zone from a yard away for a touchdown to make it an eight-point game.

The Falcons drove into New Orleans territory early in the fourth quarter and faced third down at the 37. Vick went deep for Roddy White, who came back for the underthrown ball and was in position to make the easy catch inside the 15- yard line but simply dropped it.

New Orleans took advantage and took eight minutes off the clock before John Carney drilled a 25-yard field goal to increase the lead to 24-13 with 5:48 to play.

The Saints sealed the contest on their next series, marching 74 yards on six plays for another touchdown. Brees keyed it with a 46-yard pass to Henderson and McAllister finished it with a nine-yard touchdown run.

Game Notes

Brees recorded his fifth straight 300-yard passing game...Henderson has 327 yards receiving in the past two games...Vick's rushing total was seven yards shy of his NFL record for quarterbacks, set in a 2002 overtime victory against Minnesota...The Saints swept the season series, notching a 23-3 victory on September 25 in the club's emotional return to the Superdome.