The New Orleans Saints suffered a tough loss to the Atlanta Falcons, dropping their record to 5-3. It was a blowout early on as the Falcons led 17-3 entering the fourth quarter. New Orleans kept fighting and put up 22 points in the final frame, but it was not enough.

They were coming off a surprising Week 8 win over the defending champions Tampa Bay Buccaneers, so the loss certainly came as a surprise.

Now, the Saints will face tougher challenges for the rest of the season after starting quarterback Jameis Winston has been ruled out for the season. Trevor Siemian has stepped in as the starter and has played well thus far. However, it remains to be seen if he can keep New Orleans in playoff contention.

Here are three Saints takeaways from their tough Week 9 loss to the Falcons.

New Orleans Saints Week 9 Takeaways vs. Atlanta Falcons

3. They can still make the playoffs

New Orleans hasn't been a consistent team this season, but they have the talent to make a playoff push. The defense is elite, which was showcased against the Buccaneers a couple of weeks ago.

Sean Payton's defense had a decent performance against the Falcons. While they scored 27 points, the Saints' defense forced two sacks and didn't allow their run game to get going.

The Falcons finished with 34 total rushing yards on 25 attempts. Although New Orleans is missing their starting quarterback, the defense can propel them to a playoff berth.

2. The run game needs to be used more

With the starting quarterback out, many would expect the Saints to utilize the run game more frequently. That was not the case against Atlanta, as they rushed for 109 yards on 25 carries and one touchdown. Having a star running back in Alvin Kamara and a solid no. 2 back in Mark Ingram need to be used more to win a game like this. They are a great one-two punch in the backfield and should be relied upon more to produce.

On the season, Kamara has rushed for 530 yards and three touchdowns. He is also a threat in the receiving game, but Payton needs to lean more on the rushing game moving forward. This would help Siemian play better as it would set up the play-action passing game with the defense expecting the run.

1. Saints still need a receiver

Over the past few seasons, the weakness on the Saints' offense has been their receiving core. They have had star Michael Thomas, but with him out for the year, New Orleans has struggled to have any reliable receivers. Kamara was tasked with being the lead receiver on Sunday, despite being a running back. He had four receptions for 54 yards and no touchdowns.

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While it is good to have a running back that can impact the receiving game, he should not consistently lead the team in receiving categories. With Odell Beckham Jr. potentially available, he could be an excellent signing for New Orleans. He didn't have an impactful few seasons with the Cleveland Browns, but he is still an elite talent.

Beckham Jr. played six games with the Browns this season and only had 17 receptions for 232 yards and zero touchdowns.

In a new situation, he could thrive and become one of the top receivers in the league once again.

If the Saints can bring in OBJ, he would help the offense take a jump to the next level. New Orleans now moves on to their next opponent, the Tennessee Titans. The Titans are red hot following a win over the Los Angeles Rams without Derrick Henry, who is out for the season.

This will be a big test for the Saints and could shape their playoff chances as the season moves forward.