The Falcons played Sunday night without their star receiver Julio Jones who was listed as inactive. It was evident that the Atlanta offensive suffered without his presence on the field.
The first half appeared to be a shoot out, as both offenses found most of their success in the air.
New Orleans Saints defense wasted no time with their rush as Defensive end Marcus Davenport sacks Matt Ryan for a loss of 7 yards and forced a fumble on the very first play of the game. The Falcons were held to a 4 and out, then forced to punt, Ryan Allen’s punt is deflected by Tayson Hill which resulted in excellent field position for the Saints offense. New Orleans would take advantage of this opportunity and score on their first possession with a pass from Drew Brees to Tayson Hill for a 3-yard touchdown. At the end of the first, the Falcons offense would get a rhythm, with the assistance of penalties they would get deep into the Saints territory. The Saints defense holds Atlanta offense in the red zone to fourth and one, the Falcons decide to go for it. Matt Ryan takes a shot at the end zone and the pass is incomplete which resulted in a turnover on downs.
The Falcons would record their first touchdown two and a half minutes into the second quarter as the capitalized off of a pass interference penalty. Matt Ryan found Jaeden Graham for an 18-yard touchdown pass, Younghoe Koo field goal attempt is wide left and no good. New Orleans offense, not to be out down charges down the field into Atlanta’s territory, The Falcons defense held the Saints offense to a 22-yard field goal by Wil Lutz. The Saints offense would not let up, Drew Breeze would lead the offense on an impressive drive that resulted in a 30-yard touchdown run by Tayson Hill.
The third quarter was dominated by the defense of both teams. The Saints appeared to have a spark in their run game with a 24 yard run by Alvin Kamara. This offense drive would end in a field goal. With less than 2 minutes left in the third quarter, Falcons offense would turn the ball over as Matt Ryan’s pass is intercepted by defensive tackle Shy Tuttle with a 17-yard return after the turnover. New Orleans offense could not capitalize on this turnover as they went 4 and out.
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Matt Ryan had yet another pass intercepted. Defensive Back CJ Gardner Johnson intercepted Ryan’s pass and returned it 29 yards in Atlanta territory before being knocked out of bounds. The Saints would take advantage of this turnover with a field goal converted by Lutz. The Falcons offensive struggles did not end there, Matt Ryan scrambled out the pocket for six yards, Marcus Davenport forced him to fumble and New Orleans recovered and this resulted on another field by Wil Lutz. The Falcons refused to fold, Matt Ryan connects with Ryan Gage for a 13-yard touchdown, the Younghoe Koo then kicks an onside kick and the ball is recovered by Atlanta. The Falcons capitalize with a 43-yard field goal by Koo. Koo then kicks another onside kick and it is recovered again by Atlanta. The Saints’ defense would hold the Falcons offense for the win.
The Atlanta Falcons move to 3-9 on the season moving even further away from any wild card hopes and seals a seasoning under 500. They face another division opponent in the Carolina Panthers at Mercedes Benz Stadium on December 8.
Written by Marcus Jones
