Atlanta Falcons cornerback DeAngelo Hall holds a poster of former teammate and quarterback Michael Vick as he arrives on the field at the beginning of their NFL football game aginst New Orleans in Atlanta on Monday night. Vick was sentenced on Monday to 23 months in prison for his role in an illegal dogfighting ring in which he admitted he was involved in the killing of at least eight dogs. - Reuters

ATLANTA (Reuters)

DREW BREES passed for three touchdowns to lift the New Orleans Saints to a convincing 34-14 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night.

Marques Colston caught two of them as the Saints (6-7) chalked up 24 consecutive points after the scores were tied at 7-7 to keep their play-off hopes alive.

"This was a must-win game," Brees told reporters after completing 28 of 41 passes for 328 yards and no interceptions. "They all are from this point on, but you can't win four in a row until you win one in a row."

The Falcons dropped to 3-10 on the day former quarterback Michael Vick was sentenced to 23 months in prison for his role in an illegal dog-fighting ring.

Colston wound up with nine catches for 92 yards and made touchdown catches of 15 and two yards for the Saints. David Patten added 122 yards receiving on nine catches and the game's first touchdown, a 25-yard pass from Brees.

Roman Harper keyed the defence with a 31-yard pass interception return that gave New Orleans a 31-7 lead.

The Saints played without running backs Reggie Bush and Deuce McAllister, who are out with knee injuries, but Aaron Stecker filled in effectively, rushing for 100 yards on 20 carriers.

"We've got a lot of guys who can make plays," Brees added. "So we continued to spread it around, take care of the football and played with a lot of confidence."

Chris Redman passed for two touchdowns for the Falcons.