The Atlanta Falcons secured a 24-10 victory over the New Orleans Saints last Sunday at Caesars Superdome, witnessed by 70,005 fans. This win in Week 12 marked Atlanta’s largest margin of victory in New Orleans since their 26-9 win in 2019.
The Falcons had scored touchdowns on 11 consecutive red-zone drives before settling for a field goal after reaching the Saints’ 18-yard line in the second quarter. This streak is tied for the second-longest by any team this season, with only the Indianapolis Colts having a longer run at 12 straight.
Cornerback Dee Alford led Atlanta’s defense with a career-high ten tackles. The game also saw multiple Falcons rookies record at least half a sack for the fourth time this season, setting a new franchise record for such games in one year.
Atlanta improved to a 4-2 record when leading at halftime this season, having gone into the break ahead of New Orleans 16-7. The Saints’ top rusher was quarterback Tyler Shough with just 22 yards, matching a low not seen against Atlanta since Alex Smith did so for Washington in 2018.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins made his 16th start as a Falcon and threw two touchdown passes, bringing his career total to 290 and tying Johnny Unitas for seventeenth-most in NFL history. He now ranks tenth all-time among Falcons quarterbacks with twenty touchdown passes for the team. Cousins also threw his sixteenth career interception returned for a touchdown—tying him for third among active quarterbacks.
Cousins reflected on his sideline scramble: “I thought, ‘This is going to be a collision, but I don’t know how to do this any other way.’ So, I just said let’s take it back to high school and lower the shoulder and may the best man win.”
Inside linebacker Divine Deablo commented on playing with an injured hand: “I think I hugged a few people out there, trying to get my arms around them so they couldn’t escape. It was a little hard to tackle, not having a grip on my left hand. But it’s OK. I think it worked out.”
Head coach Raheem Morris highlighted Darnell Mooney’s performance after his 49-yard touchdown reception: “That’s what Mooney is more like. He came to life today”
On special teams, Zane Gonzalez became the first Falcons kicker since 1995 to make two field goals from at least fifty-four yards out in one game.
Saints head coach Kellen Moore credited Atlanta after the loss: “Credit to those guys. Those guys coached better, played better and ultimately executed better than us today. It was a frustrating game. All three phases had different opportunities that, obviously, we missed.”
Saints quarterback Tyler Shough spoke about learning from the rivalry: “Just how important it is to the people of the city, and how important it can be, and it makes you want to work that much harder and find that extra edge.”
With this result, Atlanta and New Orleans are now tied in their regular-season series at fifty-six wins each.
The Falcons (4-7) will face the New York Jets (2-9) next Sunday at MetLife Stadium. Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich previously worked with the Jets as their defensive coordinator from 2021 through part of 2024.
