The Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints meet Monday night at 8:15 p.m. ET in the Caesars Superdome, both sitting at 1-2 with a chance to grab early control of a wide-open NFC South. The biggest question entering the game: can Atlanta’s league-best run defense slow a Saints offense that has leaned on big plays through the air, or will New Orleans find a way to make this the fourth straight close game of its season?
Falcons vs Saints game information
- Date: Monday, Oct. 5
- Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
- Venue: Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, LA
- TV: ESPN
- Records: Falcons 1-2, Saints 1-2
Both teams sit tied with Carolina at 1-2 in the NFC South standings, with Tampa Bay winless at 0-3. A win Monday would give either Atlanta or New Orleans a leg up in a division still very much up for grabs. The Falcons have rested 10 days since their Green Bay win and arrive at a Superdome known as one of football’s most hostile environments. The Saints celebrated the 20th anniversary of their first home game in the rebuilt stadium after Hurricane Katrina, when they beat the Falcons 23-3 on Sept. 25, 2006.
What does each team’s recent form look like?
Atlanta arrives off its best performance of the season, a 35-14 road rout of Green Bay in which quarterback Michael Penix Jr. completed 18 of 25 passes for 256 yards and a touchdown. Bijan Robinson rushed for 194 yards and two touchdowns in that game, part of a stretch that has him at 349 yards and two scores on just 66 carries this season. That win came after a 34-3 home loss to Carolina in Week 2, a game in which Falcons fans booed their own team, according to CBS Sports.
New Orleans has been competitive in every game but has little to show for it. They lost 31-30 in overtime at Detroit, won 24-17 at Baltimore, then blew an 11-point, second-half lead in a 35-27 loss to Las Vegas last week. Tight end Juwan Johnson downplayed the stumble, telling reporters, “We’ve only played three games.
It’s nothing to panic over. We’re playing really aggressive, really strong, really physical, really smart and really fast. There’s just a few things we can clean up and we’ll be fine,” per CBS Sports.
Who is questionable and who is expected to start?
New Orleans lists four players as questionable: linebackers Pete Werner (head/neck stinger) and Kaden Elliss (calf), tight end Noah Fant (abdomen) and defensive end Carl Granderson (ankle), all with a return date of Oct. 5. Wide receiver Jordyn Tyson remains on injured reserve with a hamstring strain and is not expected back until at least Oct. 11.
Atlanta’s injury report includes linebackers Kendal Daniels (Achilles) and Divine Deablo (hamstring) and defensive end Samson Ebukam (hamstring), all questionable for Monday. Cornerback A.J. Terrell Jr. remains on injured reserve with a groin injury and defensive tackle Da’Shawn Hand is out for the season after quadriceps surgery. Penix is expected to start at quarterback for Atlanta, while Tyler Shough is projected to start under center for New Orleans.
By the numbers
- Points per game: Falcons 17.0, Saints 27.0
- Total yards per game: Falcons 354.3, Saints 407.0
- Rushing yards per game: Falcons 173.0, Saints 101.3
- Passing yards per game: Falcons 181.3, Saints 305.7
- Third-down conversion rate: Falcons 34.29%, Saints 53.19%
- Turnover differential: Falcons -6, Saints -4
- Total takeaways: Falcons 2, Saints 3
- Total giveaways: Falcons 8, Saints 7
Falcons outlook
Atlanta’s defense has turned into the story of its season. They rank first in the NFL allowing just 47.7 rushing yards per game, a mark built largely on a Green Bay performance in which they held the Packers to 17 rushing yards. Offensively, Atlanta ranks second in the league in rushing at 173.0 yards per game, with Robinson pacing a ground attack that erased a sluggish start.
The passing numbers still look thin. Penix completed 18 of 25 passes for 256 yards and a touchdown in his first game back from injury, but the team’s 58.2 QB rating on the season reflects the first two weeks when Tua Tagovailoa was sidelined by an oblique injury and Cooper Rush started Week 1. Drake London has 274 receiving yards on 15 catches and remains the clear top target.
Saints outlook
New Orleans’ passing attack has carried the offense. Shough has thrown for 917 yards and eight touchdowns against three interceptions, and the Saints are averaging 305.7 passing yards per game, compared to Atlanta’s 181.3 passing yards per game. Chris Olave leads the receiving corps with 27 catches for 375 yards and a touchdown.
The run game has been a different story. New Orleans is averaging just 101.3 rushing yards per game and ranks 27th in the league against the run, allowing roughly 129 yards per game on the ground, according to CBS Sports. The Saints also gave up a 36-yard touchdown run to Las Vegas’ Mike Washington last week that sparked their collapse from an 11-point lead.
Key matchup: Falcons’ run game against Saints’ run defense
Atlanta’s ground attack against New Orleans’ run defense is the matchup that will shape this game. The Falcons rank second in the league in rushing offense at 173.0 yards per game, fresh off a 194-yard, two-touchdown outing from Robinson in Green Bay. The Saints rank 27th against the run and surrendered 113 rushing yards to Las Vegas last week.
If Atlanta establishes the run early, it can lean on a defense that just posted the best single-game run-stopping performance in franchise history and force Shough into obvious passing downs against a unit that already has 17 passes defended and seven sacks this season. New Orleans, in turn, needs its front to hold up without full health at linebacker, with both Werner and Elliss questionable.
Players to watch
Bijan Robinson, RB, Falcons
Robinson has 349 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 66 carries this season, including 194 yards and two scores in last week’s win at Green Bay. He and London became the first teammates in NFL history to each top 190 yards from scrimmage in the same game, per CBS Sports.
Tyler Shough, QB, Saints
Shough has thrown for 917 yards and eight touchdowns through three games, including a career-high four touchdown passes against Las Vegas last week. He also turned the ball over three times in that game, two fumbles and an interception, a trend New Orleans needs to clean up.
Chris Olave, WR, Saints
Olave leads New Orleans with 27 catches for 375 yards and a touchdown and remains Shough’s top target in an offense built around the pass.
What to watch
Monday’s game carries extra weight as the 20-year anniversary of the Saints’ first home game in the rebuilt Superdome after Hurricane Katrina, a 23-3 win over the Falcons on Sept. 25, 2006, that began with Steve Gleason’s famous punt block. Atlanta leads the all-time series 58-56, including a 19-17 win over the Saints in Atlanta in the teams’ most recent meeting in January. Since 2014, the Falcons are 9-2 on Monday Night Football. With Carolina, New Orleans and Atlanta all tied at 1-2, Monday’s outcome will shape early NFC South positioning.
Reporting from CBS Sports, Yahoo Sports, Sports Illustrated and Atlantafalcons contributed to this story. Official statistics: ESPN (official league data).
