NEW ORLEANS - A tenacious play by two backup defenders on Jimmy Grahams catch at the goal line — and a little help from a disputed ruling — helped save Atlantas post-season hopes and ultimately sank the Saints. Jim Bouton Jersey .New Orleans may have been done in anyway by Julio Jones remarkable return from a hip injury. But the 30-14 Falcons triumph that eliminated the Saints from playoff contention Sunday may be most remembered for officials decision to rule Grahams fourth-quarter catch a fumble instead of a touchdown.Did I think it was a score? Yes, Saints coach Sean Payton said. It looked pretty clear and yet — look — it is what it is, right? They go back to (NFL headquarters in) New York with that and its disappointing.Atlanta (6-9) next meets Carolina (6-8-1) for the NFC South title next week in the Georgia Dome. The Saints (6-9) are left with an anticlimactic visit to Tampa Bay.Grahams fumble came on the first play of the fourth quarter. The star tight end leaped to grab Drew Brees pass and came down at the goal line, his body writhing as he tried to force his way past reserve safety Dezmen Southward. Fellow Falcons safety Kemal Ishmael converged immediately and ripped the ball away, then recovered it.The initial ruling was a fumble and Falcons recovery.Grahams forward progress appeared to have been stopped before the ball came loose, but that was not reviewable.At least one replay angle showed that the ball may have broken the plane of the goal line, and the Superdome crowd roared when it was shown on large video boards. However, referee John Parry could not find evidence conclusive enough to overturn the call. Parrys announcement spawned a cascade of boos from anxious Saints fans, whose team remained down 20-7 with its playoff hopes fading.There was nothing clear and undisputable to make a change to the ruling from the field, Parry said.Graham was not present when locker rooms were opened to reporters.Southward said he never had a good look at whether Graham got in.I was too busy putting my face in his ribs. I was just trying to keep him out, Southward said. All that credit goes to Kemal, obviously coming in and not quitting on the play.Brees said he thought Graham scored, calling the consequences of the ruling, huge.While the play was a momentum changer, Atlanta might have won anyway.After not practicing or playing for about two weeks, Jones caught seven passes for 107 yards.I felt OK. I know I needed to be out there with my teammates, Jones said. When the ball is in the air, I got to get it. I dont hear nothing. I dont feel nothing.Jones made his presence felt with one double-digit-yard reception after another, including third-down catches of 12 and 24 yards during the Falcons first touchdown drive.Matt Ryan completed 30 of 40 passes for 322 yards and a touchdown, and Devonta Freeman ran for a 31-yard score.The Saints committed three turnovers in the fourth quarter in their fifth straight loss at home and were eliminated officially with Carolinas victory over Cleveland.New Orleans still had a chance to drive for a winning score in the final three minutes, but Robert McClains interception in Saints territory set up a Falcons field goal.Osi Umenyiora then returned Brees fumble for an 86-yard TD as time expired. Umenyiora turned and waved goodbye to the Falcons long-time rivals as he trotted downfield on a play that punctuated a resurgent performance for a Falcons defence that was banged up and ranked last in the NFL.Atlanta sacked Brees five times, the most this season for the Falcons defence.Brees finished 30 of 47 for 313 yards and one touchdown to Graham, which pulled the Saints as close as 20-14 with 5:48 to go. Brees was also intercepted by Desmond Trufant on a fourth-down pass in the first half.Seeking to fire up the home crowd in a crucial game, the Saints changed their introductions, turning off the house lights during a pyrotechnic display while fans held up their mobile phones as if at a concert.Fans then went into a frenzy when Jalen Saunders returned the opening kickoff 99 yards to set up Mark Ingrams 1-yard touchdown run.But those celebrations were short-lived as the Falcons scored the next 20 points.Notes: Falcons running back Steve Jackson (quad), safety Williams Moore (shoulder) and cornerback Josh Wilson (hamstring) all left the game and coach Mike Smith did not update their status. ... The Saints lost five straight at home in the same season for the first time since 1980, when Archie Manning was quarterback and New Orleans went 1-15.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL Joe Smith Jersey . Ghoulam has put pen to paper on a four and a half year deal, tying him to Napoli until 2018. The 22-year-old Algeria international, who played for France at Under 21 level, has made 87 league appearances in four seasons at Saint-Etienne. Josh James Jersey . Mauer drove in two runs before leaving with an injury, Eduardo Nunez homered and the Minnesota Twins beat the Kansas City Royals 10-2 on Tuesday night. http://www.customastrosjersey.com/custom-francis-martes-jersey-large-1626y.html . -- Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw was placed on the 15-day disabled list Saturday for the first time in his seven-year career because of a swollen muscle in his left upper back.Uniondale, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Nikolay Kulemin had two goals and an assist and the New York Islanders closed out a hugely successful pre-All-Star- break schedule with a 7-4 decision over the Philadelphia Flyers. John Tavares, Michael Grabner, Josh Bailey and Nick Leddy each scored once and assisted on another in a game the Islanders led from start to finish, with Jaroslav Halak adding 25 saves in the win. New York will enter the break atop the Metropolitan Division with 63 points and a 31-14-1 record. The Islanders put up four of their goals just past the midway mark of the second period, resulting in the Flyers pulling netminder Rob Zepp after he stopped just 16- of-20 shots. Mark Streit, Michael Del Zotto, Claude Giroux and Chris VandeVelde all had goals for the Flyers, while Ray Emery saved 18-of-20 attempts in relief of Zepp. Final Score: Carolina 4, Toronto 1 Toronto, ON (SportsNetwork.com) - Anton Khudobin stopped 34 shots to give the Carolina Hurricanes a 4-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday. Eric Staal had two goals while Elias Lindholm and Brad Malone each scored once for the Hurricanes, who have won three of their last four. Nazem Kadri had the only goal of the game for the Maple Leafs, who have lost five straight and have scored just twice during that time. Jonathan Bernier gave up three goals on 13 shots before being pulled early in the second period. James Reimer stopped all 18 shots he faced in relief. Final Score: Vancouver 2, Florida 1 Sunrise, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Ryan Miller stopped 23 shots and set a new personal-best shutout streak in Vancouvers 2-1 decision over Florida on Monday. Miller, who had recorded back-to-back shutouts in his previous two starts at Philadelphia and Carolina, saw his run of keeping the opposition off the scoreboard end late in regulation. He was bidding to become the first Canucks netminder to post three straight whitewashes since his counterpart, Roberto Luongo. Radim Vrbata and Bo Horvat scored early in the contest for the Canucks, who close out this successful three-game trip in Tampa Bay on Tuesday. Brandon Pirri recorded the lone score for the Panthers, while Luongo made 21 saves in his teams fourth straight defeat. Final Score: St. Louis 3, Colorado 1 St. Louis, MO (SportsNetwork.com) - Jaden Schwartz tallied a power-play goal and an assist in the St. Louis Blues 3-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Monday. Carl Gunnarsson and T.J. OOshie also scored, Alexander Steen extended his point streak to 10 games with two assists and Brian Elliott made 17 saves for the Blues, who have recorded a point in eight straight games (7-0-1) heading into the All-Star break. Roberto Osuna Jersey. . Matt Duchene scored and Semyon Varlamov stopped 27-of-30 shots for the Avalanche, who have lost four of their last five games. Final Score: Columbus 3, Minnesota 1 St. Paul, MN (SportsNetwork.com) - Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 25 shots to help the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 3-1 win over the Minnesota Wild on Monday. James Wisniewski had a goal and two assists, while Scott Hartnell added a goal and an assist for the Blue Jackets, who have won their past two. Brandon Dubinsky also scored in the win. Zach Parise had the only goal of the game for the Wild, who had a two-game winning streak snapped. Devan Dubnyk allowed all three goals on 23 shots in the loss. Final Score: Calgary 2, Los Angeles 1 (OT) Los Angeles, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Dennis Wideman scored the winning goal in the final minute of overtime as the Calgary Flames nabbed a 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Monday. Wideman fired a shot on net from the left circle that appeared to hit the crossbar and come out the other side. However, when play was stopped and the refs got a chance to review, it was determined that the puck hit the camera in the back of the net and came out, and Wideman was credited with his 12th goal of the season for the win. Sean Monahan had the other goal, while Joni Ortio had 33 saves for the Flames, who are 4-0-0 on a five-game road trip. Matt Greene scored and Jonathan Quick had 21 saves for the Kings, who have lost their past three. Final Score: New Jersey 5, San Jose 2 San Jose, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Jacob Josefson scored a short-handed goal and an assist as the New Jersey Devils closed out their California trip on a positive note with a 5-2 win over the San Jose Sharks on Monday. Cory Schneider made 34 saves and Steve Bernier, Travis Zajac, Jordin Tootoo and Mike Cammalleri all lit the lamp for the Devils, who bounced back from a 5-1 loss to Anaheim on Friday to finish 2-1-0 on their cross-country excursion. Joe Pavelski and Matt Nieto each scored for the Sharks, who have dropped their last two games. Alex Stalock gave up all five goals on 34 shots in his first start since Jan. 6. New Jersey ended a four-game losing streak to the Sharks, beating them for the first time since Feb. 11, 2011. ' ' '