NE Atlanta News

The Atlanta Falcons are gearing up for their upcoming matchup against the New Orleans Saints with a focus on improving early-down performance. The Falcons have struggled on third downs this season, but success on first and second downs could alleviate that issue.

According to Next Gen Stats, the Falcons rank fourth in the NFL in first-down success rate at 48.8%, driven largely by quarterback Kirk Cousins. Cousins leads the league with a 68.8% success rate on first-down passes and has completed 78.1% of his passes, averaging 9.0 yards per attempt.

Cousins' effectiveness is partly due to Atlanta's commitment to the run game, with the team running the ball on 57.9% of its first-down plays this season. This strategy has likely influenced defensive play and opened up passing opportunities.

However, they face a strong challenge from New Orleans' defense, which allows opposing quarterbacks to complete just 59.1% of their passes on first down and holds an overall defensive success rate of 64.3%. The Saints' defense has often played with a lead, facing only two drives when trailing or tied this season.

The Saints have been effective in both running and short passing games, leading to favorable matchups for deep shots downfield. They rank ninth in percentage of passes behind the line of scrimmage (26.2%) and fourth in deep passes (15.4%).

Atlanta will need to keep the game close to force New Orleans into less comfortable situations and prevent them from playing with significant leads as they have done frequently this season.

On defense, Atlanta must slow down Alvin Kamara and New Orleans' run game, which ranks fifth in yards after contact with 69% of total rushing yardage coming after initial contact.

Quick Hits:

- **Dialing up the blitz**: Atlanta's defense ranks third in blitz passing situations, allowing just a 50% completion rate.

- **Robinson on the run**: Bijan Robinson has rushed for 196 yards through three games; he needs at least 120 scrimmage yards and one touchdown Sunday for his third consecutive game achieving those marks.

- **Catching London**: Drake London could become the fourth-fastest Falcon to reach 2,000 career receiving yards if he gains at least 93 receiving yards Sunday.

- **Off the edge**: Matthew Judon seeks two more sacks to reach a career total of 70.

- **Solid in the secondary**: Justin Simmons has allowed only two receptions for 12 yards when targeted as nearest defender this season.

Atlanta aims for a division win that could set them up well moving forward but faces significant challenges from their familiar rival.