Sean Payton: 'It was a close game'

New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton has acknowledged that the struggling Atlanta Falcons were almost able to match his side during last night's game.

The teams went into the match at opposite ends of the NFC South but just one point separated them at half time before a Garrett Hartley kick provided the only points of the second half to seal a 17-14 victory for the Saints.

Payton believes that it was always likely to be a close encounter no matter how the Falcons had been performing so far this season, and he was not disappointed.

"We knew coming here was going to be a challenge,. The two teams, the history, regardless of the record, it has always been a close game, and tonight was no exception," Payton told The AP.

The result ensured that the Falcons would finish the season with a losing record for the first time since 2007.