Remember 28-3? Atlanta Falcons Also Had 17-0 And Now 26-10 Against New Orleans Saints

When it came Sunday to the latest edition of the NFC South (ahem) rivalry between the Atlanta Falcons and the New Orleans Saints, the numbers remained brutal at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the home team.

The Saints were the visitors, by the way.

$4 billion to $3.575 billion

OK, OK, the Falcons top the Saints on the Forbes’ list for NFL team valuations, but for all of those other numbers favoring the Saints over the Falcons in recent years, maybe those valuations were part of the Saints’ motivation.

Just think about this: Since the Falcons and the Saints joined the league as franchises nearly at the same time (1966 and 1967 respectively), and since they both were equally awful for decades, and since the Saints have been consistently better during much of the century, the Saints likely felt more inspired by sitting 10 slots behind the No. 16 Falcons on that valuations list.

Whatever the case, those other numbers tell the ugly truth for the Falcons.

27-26

That was the final score Sunday when the Saints survived themselves (shaky line play on both sides of the ball combined with silly penalties) and the bumbling Falcons (too many gaffes to mention) to surge ahead for good courtesy of a 51-yard field goal with 19 seconds left to win the season opener for both teams.

“I hope they’re not all like that,” first-year Saints head coach Dennis Allen said after he watched quarterback Jameis Winston and all-everything receiver Michael Thomas lead his team from a 16-point deficit in the fourth quarter to victory with a couple of speedy touchdown drives before Wil Lutz’s game-winning kick.

Allen added, “Look, our team is tough and gritty. That’s what I love about them. That’s exactly the way they played in this game. It wasn’t perfect. We’ve got a ton of things to clean up.”

Not as many as the Falcons.

Five

Even though this supposedly is a rivalry, well, is it one? The Saints just grabbed their fifth consecutive victory within the Atlanta city limits, and it’s not as if the Falcons are as equally potent in New Orleans. For verification, the Saints have won eight of the last 10 matchups overall between these teams.

16 and 21-9

Speaking of rivalries that aren’t, Sean Payton had something to say about this one Sunday during his new role on the FOX Sports pregame show. “I’ve got to say it’s not a rivalry anymore. It stopped 16 years ago,” Payton said over the airways, and it isn’t a coincidence that he was the head coach of the Saints for exactly 16 years before he resigned prior to this season.

What was Payton’s record against the Falcons?

21-9.

In Payton’s first game against the Falcons in 2006, his Saints won 23-3, and during the last game he ever coached for the Saints, he beat (who else?) the Falcons 30-20 during the close of the 2021 regular season.

So, it wasn’t just Payton as the Falcons’ tormentor.

Allen became the Saints’ new head coach while remaining defensive coordinator. He spent Sunday matching X’s and O’s with Arthur Smith in his second season leading the Falcons as their top guy and offensive coordinator.

While the Saints took the field with holdovers on both sides of the ball — ranging from five-time Pro Bowl runner Alvin Kamara to three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Thomas to seven-time Pro Bowl defensive end Cameron Jordan — the Falcons mostly just took the field.

Journeyman Marcus Mariota is the Falcons’ new starting quarterback after they traded future Pro Football Hall of Famer Matt Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts during the offseason. The Falcons have a new No. 1 receiver, new pieces on the offensive line (center and left guard) and nine new starters on defense.

The results for the Falcons were splendid against the Saints, but only for three quarters.

On offense, the Falcons rushed for 201 rushing yards, and Mariota kept flashing signs of his Heisman Trophy days at Oregon with his arm (completing 20 of 33 passes for 215 yards) and his legs (12 carries for 72 yards and a touchdown).

Then there was Falcons defensive coordinator Dean Pees showing why he has two Super Bowl rings. He confused Winston and the rest of the Saints enough to produce errant throws and four sacks for a Falcons defense with an NFL-low 18 last season.

Soon, the Falcons led 26-10 with barely 12 minutes left in the game.

It didn’t matter.

“They made the plays, and we didn’t get to the quarterback,” Smith said, referring to the evaporation of the Falcons’ 16-point lead in a flash. “For 3 ½ quarters we dominated the line of scrimmage.”

Football games are four quarters.

17-0

That was the lead the Falcons blew at home during the 2013 NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers, and that was an all-time record for league championship games.

28-3

That was the Super Bowl lead the Falcons blew in Houston to the New England Patriots after the 2016 season, and that was an all-time record for Super Bowls.

0

The Saints won their only trip to the Super Bowl, but the Falcons have zero world championships despite two tries.

54-53

After all the games between the Falcons and the Saints over 55 years, the Falcons hold the edge by one victory.

Which means . . . what?

Nothing this season to the 1-0 Saints.