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In what was supposed to be a night of celebration for New Orleans and its resilience following Hurricane Katrina, with the game designated as the 20th anniversary of the Domecoming, the Atlanta Falcons made it a night of dread.
The Falcons defeated the New Orleans Saints 45-24, and it was not close from start to finish as the Falcons led the entire way. The Falcons outgained the Saints 410-320, but the margins really separated them in yards per play. Atlanta averaged 7.5 yards per play while New Orleans averaged 4.6.
While Atlanta quarterback Michael Penix threw efficiently, completing 15 of 20 passes for 220 yards and a touchdown, its rushing attack killed the Saints.
The Falcons rushed for 205 yards after Bijan Robinson and Brian Robinson ran roughshod over the Saints’ depleted defense.
Bijan Robinson had 19 carries for 145 yards and two touchdowns, while Brian Robinson had 14 carries for 62 yards and three touchdowns.
Tyler Shough did have a decent game, completing 30 of 48 passes for 288 yards and a touchdown. Chris Olave had a quiet but productive day, catching 8 for 114 yards, but it was overshadowed by the beatdown the Falcons put on the Saints.
Tyler Shough did have a decent game, completing 30 of 48 passes for 288 yards and a touchdown. Chris Olave had a quiet but productive day, catching 8 for 114 yards, but it was overshadowed by the beatdown the Falcons put on the Saints.
Otherwise, the Saints had no bright spots offensively, rushing the ball 15 times for 50 yards, an average of 2.6 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Atlanta averaged nearly 6 yards per carry.
First Half
The first half was another slow start for the Saints as they trailed 24-7 at halftime.
The Falcons had the ball on the first possession and needed only three plays to score.
After Penix found Drake London and tight end Austin Hooper for gains of 12 and 9 yards, Bijan Robinson got the handoff, bounced to the outside and proceeded to go 59 yards to the house untouched to take an early 7-0 lead with 13:43 left in the first quarter.
On its second drive, New Orleans looked as if it were finally going to get something going offensively. However, a third-down stop by Atlanta led to a 52-yard field goal attempt by Daniel Carlson that he hooked to the left.
Luckily, the Saints’ defense made up for it with a quick three-and-out. Then disaster struck.
Saints running back Kendre Miller coughed up the ball on the first play and the Falcons recovered it. Miller was originally ruled down before an official review reversed the decision.
A few plays later, Bijan Robinson scored his second touchdown rush of the game to give Atlanta a 14-0 lead with 52 seconds left in the first quarter.
The Saints responded quickly as Shough unloaded a 44-yard pass to Olave that put the Saints on the 10-yard line. Two plays later, Alvin Kamara scored his first rushing touchdown of the season from 3 yards out to cut Atlanta’s lead to seven points.
That’s where the fun stopped.
Atlanta scored on the ensuing possession as Brian Robinson reached paydirt on a 4-yard touchdown run to finish off a 10-play, 65-yard drive to take a 21-7 lead.
The Falcons scored the final points of the half on a 29-yard field goal from Nick Folk.
Second Half
The Saints entered the second half needing something close to a complete reversal after Atlanta built a 24-7 halftime lead. Instead, the Falcons continued to control the game and never allowed New Orleans to seriously threaten their advantage.
New Orleans opened the third quarter with one of its better sustained drives of the night. Tyler Shough moved the offense downfield with completions to Olave, Juwan Johnson and Kamara, but the Saints stalled before reaching the end zone and settled for a Carlson field goal to cut Atlanta’s lead to 24-10.
Atlanta immediately answered.
Penix connected with Jahan Dotson for a chunk gain before Bijan Robinson continued to punish the Saints on the ground. London later moved the chains through the air, and Brian Robinson Jr. finished the possession with his second rushing touchdown of the night, stretching Atlanta’s advantage to 31-10.
The Saints finally found the end zone again early in the fourth quarter. Shough connected with Devaughn Vele and Kamara during the drive before Kamara powered into the end zone for his second touchdown, trimming the deficit to 31-17.
Any hope of a comeback disappeared almost immediately.
Atlanta responded with another explosive scoring drive, highlighted by a 28-yard catch-and-run from Kyle Pitts and Penix’s 31-yard touchdown pass to Dotson. After the Falcons’ defense stopped New Orleans on downs, Brian Robinson broke loose for his third touchdown of the game to make it 45-17.
New Orleans added a late touchdown when Shough found Vele in the back of the end zone, but by then the outcome had long been decided.
Vele finished with six catches for 54 yards
The Saints were able to move the football more effectively after halftime, but nearly every positive stretch was answered by Atlanta. The Falcons scored 21 second-half points and consistently prevented New Orleans from turning the game into a legitimate comeback, finishing off a 45-24 victory.
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