Watching game film, Saints Coach Sean Payton thought he saw an opportunity to establish offensive balance. Payton saw what the Falcons did to the Saints the last time they played -- getting an early lead and forcing the most passes New Orleans has thrown all season -- and he thought the Falcons' defense provided the right coverage for his running backs to take advantage.

"Certainly, when we got into our game the last time against them (Nov. 9), after we fell down 14 points, it became kind of a one-dimensional game in regards to what we were doing," Payton said Monday, explaining that the Falcons have played a lot of Cover-2 defense and have been effective in getting pressure with a four-man rush. "We felt early yesterday if we were going to see a lot of that coverage, it was going to give us a seven-man box rather than an eight-man box, and we felt like we'd have those opportunities. And we felt especially good about some of the draw schemes we were going to have in, with the way they rush the passer."

The result was one of the most balanced games the Saints have played. They beat the Falcons 29-25 on Sunday, with 30 rushing plays for 184 yards and 32 passes for 230 yards.

Pierre Thomas had 16 carries for 102 yards and a touchdown, Reggie Bush had 10 carries for 80 yards and fullback Mike Karney converted a fourth-and-1 situation with a 2-yard run on the Saints' winning drive.

"I think that's a great thing for our offense," receiver Lance Moore said. "We have a great quarterback that throws the ball extremely well, but if we can add a running game to what he's doing, then that's going to make us unpredictable. That's going to make the defenses become off-balance because of what we're doing to them. I think it definitely adds a new dimension to our game that we haven't seen a lot this year."

The new dimension seemed to come at the right time, after a 44-yard rushing performance in a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Nov. 30 and with the Saints on the brink of elimination from the playoff race.

The question now for the Saints, after putting up the most yards rushing since the playoffs after the 2006 season, is whether the balance will continue Thursday in Chicago and beyond.

Or was the performance against the Falcons an anomaly, a one-day occurrence inspired by what Payton saw in the game film?

"I think if we're going to be a team that can, for instance, run a play-action pass, there has to be some threat of a run to set up the play-action pass," Payton said. "I think what's most important is just to look at what's the best way for us to move the Football and score points. And each week that might change and it might vary. But certainly you're going to need to be able to do both, especially as the weather changes and we're getting ready to go on the road here and play a game in Chicago, where it's cold and the elements are going to be a little bit different than they were this past weekend."

The Saints should be heading to Chicago -- for their final game outdoors of the regular season -- with a little more confidence. They have won three of the past four games for the first time this season, and an offense that already was ranked No. 1 in the NFL seems to have found more threats.

Payton also has been happier with his defense the past four games.

"The Tampa Bay game, I felt like we were pretty strong throughout the game," linebacker Scott Fujita said Monday about the team's defense. "Yesterday we got the stops when we needed them. We played the running game really well yesterday, with the exception of one big run. So is it coming together? I'd say yeah, to a certain degree. But again, it's about being consistent."

Even with a consistency that could get the Saints to 10-6, the playoff picture looks cloudy.

Eleven of the NFC's 16 teams have records of 7-6 or better, including the Saints (7-6) and the Bears (7-6). And with three games to play, the complicated playoff scenarios might seem endless, even to those whose seasons depend on them.

"I don't know our situation," linebacker Jonathan Vilma said. "I don't know who we need to win or lose. And I don't even know what happens if we go 10-6 and other teams go 10-6 or 11-5. I really don't know what happens."

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Teddy Kider can be reached at tkider@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3409.