3) Is there a blueprint for stopping Jimmy Graham? It's not like the Saints' offense has collapsed as the team has unraveled -- Drew Brees has a good shot at reaching the 5,000-yard mark for the fourth straight year and the fifth time in his career, and the group leads the league in total yardage. There's most certainly more blame at the feet of a defense that has come undone in Year 2 under coordinator Rob Ryan. But the last few weeks have illustrated some issues the offense has had turning all those yards into points. And you might first look to Brees' most prolific weapon, he of the four-year, $40 million contract. Several Falcons players said after Sunday's win by Atlanta that the plan was to be physical with Jimmy Graham, who drew boos from the Superdome crowd after missing a couple of catchable balls in traffic and fumbling near the goal line (though the officials' call on that play was, to be fair, questionable). So what's going on? Well, Graham has spent a large chunk of the year nursing a shoulder injury that has, to some degree, mitigated his freakish athletic ability. But there's also a very real question as to whether a blueprint exists for stopping Graham. New England shut Graham out in Week 6 of 2013 -- the first time he'd been blanked since his rookie year -- by having Aqib Talib hammer him at the line of scrimmage. One rival personnel director affirmed that the Patriots "definitely" built a plan that's been replicated, adding, "If you have a physical safety or corner that can match up with him in man coverage, that's the best way." Now, it's not like Graham has disappeared since that contest last year, posting 128 catches for 1,457 yards and 20 touchdowns over his past 25 regular-season games. And yet, it does seem like he's been slightly less dominant. Again, taking the shoulder injury into account, he's cracked 100 yards in just three of those 25 games, after going for triple-digits in three of the four games prior to that loss to the Patriots. Given the overall numbers, it's tough to be too hard on Graham. But if it's become easier for opponents to take away or at least minimize the Saints' strength on offense, well, then that's made things even more difficult for Brees and Co.