New Orleans (6-10) at Atlanta (7-9)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, Fox.
BetMGM NFL Odds: Falcons by 3.
Against the spread: Saints 8-8; Falcons 9-7
Series record: Falcons lead 57-56
Last meeting: With Kirk Cousins at quarterback, the Falcons beat the Saints 24-10 on Nov. 23 in New Orleans to end a five-game losing streak.
Last week: Saints beat Titans 34-26 in Nashville, Tenn.; Falcons beat the Los Angeles Rams 27-24 on Monday night in Atlanta.
Saints offense: overall (23), rush (30), pass (17), scoring (29).
Saints defense: overall (9), rush (23), pass (5), scoring (16).
Falcons offense: overall (15), rush (5), pass (19), scoring (24).
Falcons defense: overall (14), rush (26), pass (11), scoring (20)
Turnover differential: Saints minus-3; Falcons plus-4
Saints player to watch
Rookie Tyler Shough is looking to make a final case that he’s the long-term answer at quarterback. He has led the team to four consecutive wins, the Saints’ longest winning streak since Drew Brees led the offense in 2020. Shough topped 300 passing yards in the past two wins. He completed 22 of 27 passes for 333 yards, two touchdowns and a 142.7 rating against the Titans last week. Shough ranks first among rookie quarterbacks with a 92.1 rating this season.
Falcons player to watch
Bijan Robinson’s 229 scrimmage yards, including his career-high 195 rushing yards, against the Rams gave him the team record with 2,255 scrimmage yards for the season. His big game included another team record with a 93-yard touchdown run, but the Falcons may be reluctant to ask Robinson to match that heavy workload following a quick turnaround, especially with Tyler Allgeier available as a capable backup. The Falcons obviously want to close the season with a fourth straight win, but they also want to protect Robinson’s health for the future.
Key matchup
Robinson and Allgeier vs. Saints run defense. The Saints rank only 23rd against the run. Atlanta ranks fifth in rushing yards following Robinson’s huge game against the Rams. The Falcons are expected to continue to emphasis their running game after Kirk Cousins attempted only 20 passes, completing 13 for only 126 yards, last week. The Falcons rushed for only 121 yards with no touchdowns in their first game against the Saints.
Key injuries
Saints: WR Chris Olave is expected to miss the game after being hospitalized with a reported blood clot in his lung. … TE Jack Stoll (knee) was held out of practice Wednesday and Thursday after leaving the game against the Titans. DT Bryan Bresee (knee) and RB Alvin Kamara (knee and ankle) did not practice Wednesday and Thursday after missing Sunday’s game. RG Cesar Ruiz (ankle) was limited on Wednesday but had a full practice on Thursday.
Falcons: DL Brandon Dorlus (hamstring) will miss the game but the Falcons were relieved he didn’t suffer a more significant injury. CB Mike Hughes (ankle) was placed on injured reserve after missing two games. CB Clark Phillips III (triceps, illness) missed practice Wednesday and Thursday. WRs Darnell Mooney (knee) and Drake London (knee) were limited.
Series notes
The NFC South rivals split their regular-season series each of the past two seasons, with each team winning at home. The Falcons’ win in the first game this season was their first in New Orleans since a 27-25 victory on Nov. 7, 2021. The Saints won nine of 11 in the series in a stretch that began with the second game in 2017 and continued through a sweep of the 2022 games. Atlanta took a 27-21 wild-card round win in 1991 in the only playoff game in the rivalry. The Falcons’ most recent sweep came in 2016.
Stats and stuff
The home team has won five of the past six games, with Atlanta’s win on Nov. 23 the exception. … Shough is 5-3 as a starter, including the four consecutive wins. He took over as the starter when the team was 1-7. … Shough has topped 300 passing yards in each of the past two games. … The Saints don’t have a win over a team that currently has a winning record. … Saints RB Audric Estime set a career high with 94 rushing yards with a touchdown last week and could be in position for another big role. … TE Juwan Johnson set a season high with 95 receiving yards last week and has a career-best 828 yards for the season. … The Falcons are 4-1 in prime-time games and 3-8 in afternoon games. The prime-time record includes Monday night wins over the Buffalo Bills and Rams. … The Falcons’ three-game winning streak came after the team was eliminated from playoff contention. … Allgeier leads Atlanta with eight rushing touchdowns, one more than Robinson. … Falcons S Xavier Watts leads NFL rookies with five interceptions. Watts and Jessie Bates, who has three picks, have combined for eight interceptions to tie for the most of any safety duo in the league. … The Falcons rank second in the NFL with 53 sacks after ranking next-to-last with 31 last season. … Robinson’s 5,605 scrimmage yards for his career are the most by a player under the age of 24 in NFL history. Robinson is 23 and will turn 24 on Jan. 30. … James Pearce Jr. leads NFL rookies with 8 1/2 sacks. Jalon Walker is second with 5 1/2 sacks.
Fantasy tip
Zane Gonzalez has made 15 of 18 field goals, including last week’s go-ahead 51-yarder with 21 seconds remaining, in his eight games with Atlanta. Gonzalez made each of his three attempts in the Falcons’ first win over the Saints and has made at least two field goals in five of his eight games. Gonzalez nailed his game-winning kick last week after having an earlier attempt blocked and could be a good pick for more fantasy points as he attempts to put a lock on the job for 2026.
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