At 10-1, the Atlanta Falcons are having a phenomenal season with quarterback Matt Ryan at the helm. They are tied for the best record in the NFL and occupy the No. 1 slot in the NFC playoff standings. That one loss, however, came via Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints in Week 10.

During that matchup three weeks ago, Ryan and Brees went absolutely berserk. Ryan threw for an awesome 411 yards and three touchdowns, completing 65 percent of his passes. He produced a remarkable QBR of 84.9 and efficiency rating of 100.7

Brees, for his part, went toe-to-toe with his quarterback counterpart. He too connected on 65 percent of his throws, while putting up three touchdowns to just one interception. His performance also netted him 80-and-100-plus ratings in the two quarterbacks metrics.

The one conspicuous difference between these two on-field products was that Brees led his Saints to a win. At the same time, though, the Falcons did not lose because of any Ryan-related deficiencies. Both quarterbacks were fantasy studs—with Ryan accumulating 26.64 points and Brees with 21.82.

With the Saints’ playoff livelihood hanging in the balance, let’s take a gander at which quarterback will have a better day at his respective gridiron office in Week 13. We’ll focus on four key factors and conclude with a final prediction.

1. Matt Ryan’s Home Splits

Ryan is an absurd 31-4 at home in his five NFL seasons, including 5-0 in 2012. However, Ryan’s numbers at the Georgia Dome this year belie the otherwise perfect record. He has thrown nine picks to just six touchdowns, compared to a 15-4 TD:INT ratio on the road. His efficiency rating is over 30 points less as well.

The Falcons won in spite of Ryan during their matchup with the Cardinals—with Ryan throwing five interceptions—and also against the hapless Raiders, when he threw three picks.

Point being, Ryan is nowhere near the 96.1-rated quarterback at home as he is overall. His average of 13.82 fantasy points in the ATL is proof positive.

2. Drew Brees’ Road Splits

In contrast to his counterpart’s home numbers, Brees’ statistics on the road comprise some of his best performances of the season. He’s completing a higher percentage of his passes (64.6 to 60.5), has produced a better rating (100.2 to 97.1) and has thrown fewer interceptions (four to seven). His 14 total touchdowns are just four less than his total at home.

Fantasy-wise, Brees is averaging an impressive 22.7 points on the road. Two of his top fantasy performances have come away from the Superdome as well (29.84 @ GB; 29.18 @ TB). Edge goes to Brees in the home vs. road splits.

3. New Orleans’ Defensive Backs

Make no mistake: the Saints’ corps of defensive backs is criminally bad, worst in the league and downright historically awful. Let’s break down some numbers.

Starting cornerbacks Jabari Greer and Patrick Robinson have given up eight touchdowns and efficiency ratings of 94.7 and 97.1, respectively, to quarterbacks throwing in their direction. Add in three TD passes, a 77.8 completion percentage and 118.7 rating to nickel back Corey White as well. Ouch.

The starting safeties are just as liable for this collective monumental deficiency. Roman Harper and Malcolm Jenkins are some of the worst in coverage at their positions. Quarterbacks are burning them for a 66.4 completion percentage, six touchdowns and an efficiency rating of 107.7. Double ouch.

Throw out the combined eight interceptions by members of the New Orleans’ secondary. Ryan, Roddy White, Julio Jones and Tony Gonzalez will have their way all game long if things don’t improve in this unit.

4. Falcons’ Pride vs. Saints’ Dire Straights

Again, the Falcons suffered their only loss this year to the Saints. Ryan and Company would undoubtedly like to avenge that defeat and even the score against their division rival. One cannot deny the amount of pride involved and the desire to legitimize their perceived suspect 10-1 record.

Brees and the Saints also feel a sense of pride over this game, albeit a much stronger one. They are out to prove that this team is bigger than the otherwise franchise-crippling Bountygate scandal. They want to show that this team can transcend the loss of their head coach, suspended players and individual defensive inadequacies.

And this begins and ends with the Brees-powered offense. Marques Colston, Jimmy Graham, Lance Moore and the stable of running backs will come up big for their inspiring field general.

The Saints must win this game to remain a relevant playoff contender. If they lose, they’re  certainly done, but if they win—well—they have a legitimate fighter’s chance. Expect this win-or-die scenario to fuel one of Brees’ most productive outings of 2012.

Final Prediction

Ryan has the slight edge in outside weapons and has already torched the Saints defense this season. On the other hand, Brees is superior overall both on the gridiron and in the fantasy world. There is too much at stake for him not to produce huge numbers this week.

The No. 3 fantasy quarterback takes down the No. 7 QB. Brees 29 points, Ryan 19 points