The Atlanta Falcons needed this win. They had to have this win. A victory propelled them to the top of the NFC South and kept their playoff hopes alive after a 4-6 start and plenty of ugliness, while a loss more or less doomed their hopes for the year.
In a sloppy one marred by turnovers by both teams and some late down misses, the Falcons got that victory they needed, and by a comfortable nine points. With Bijan Robinson scoring two touchdowns, the defense holding New Orleans to nothing but field goals, and an absolutely massive Jessie Bates pick-six, the Falcons finally set this thing right. Now they’re in first place in the NFC South again, very much alive, and suddenly full of the post-bye promise we hoped they could show us.
Both the Saints and Falcons went three-and-out on their first attempts on offense. The Saints, however, used nine plays to set up a 25-yard field goal made by kicker Blake Grupe to put the first points on the board.
The Saints were knocking on the Falcons' door the next time their offense took the field. A 36-yard completion from Saints quarterback Derek Carr to tight end Taysom Hill did most of the damage. But Falcons safety Jessie Bates III intercepted Carr on a third-and-3 play at the Atlanta 12-yard line and returned the pick 92 yards for a touchdown.
The Saints responded with another drive where they moved the ball. This may sound familiar, but the drive stalled and Grupe added three more points with a field goal to make it 21-15.
The Falcons put the game out of reach with a drive in which they ran the ball repeatedly, going 54 yards in 10 plays and making a 39-yard field goal to cap the drive and make the lead 24-15.
Grope would miss a 54 yarder to ensure the Saints would not get a chance at an onside kick.
Atlanta held a four-point lead over New Orleans at the end of the first quarter thanks to Bates. The Falcons otherwise had 48 total net yards compared to the Saints' 163 through the opening 15 minutes of work. Carr completed eight of his 12 passes for 129 yards. Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder completed one of his four passes for 25 yards.
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