It wasn’t pretty, but Falcons-Saints rarely is. It wasn’t exactly a testament to this team’s strength of roster or coaching, but it wasn’t expected to be. What it ultimately was a win, a 2025 sweep of the Saints, and a second-straight 8-9 season locked up.
The Falcons struggled offensively much of the day, which meant the defense had to step up and did. Atlanta held the Saints to 17 points—including a last minute touchdown—and the offense set up enough Zane Gonzalez field goals to win. That means
a four game winning streak to end the season, and now we wait to see what major decisions are looming for Atlanta.
Here’s a drive-by-drive recap of the game you just watched.
1st Quarter
Atlanta had the ball first, and Deven Thompkins was stopped at the 24. Bijan Robinson got four yards on first down after cutting it outside. Tyler Allgeier took the second carry for three yards. Then Kirk Cousins, not finding anyone downfield, was sacked on third down. Punt, and despite a dramatic bounce, the Saints had it about the 20.
A rollout throw to Juwan Johnson on first down turned into a fumble when A.J. Terrell hit him, and Xavier Watts scooped it up to make it Falcons ball.
Cousins hopped away from one sack attempt and was sacked on the next play. Bijan was tackled for no gain. A quick pass to Bijan got 12 yards on 3rd and 15 to set up a 4th and 3, and the Falcons got it with a dart to Kyle Pitts over the middle. Bijan was then tackled after maybe a yard. Cousins then hit Darnell Mooney on the sideline for nine yards. Robinson got the remaining yard. Cousins then threw a terrible interception on a screen pass attempt to Pitts and it was New Orleans ball.
Audric Estime was hit and dropped for a small loss. Estime was tripped up on a swing pass after picking up about three yards. Ronnie Bell was then hit after getting seven yards, and the Saints elected to punt. Thompkins was hit hard at the 26 yard line on the return.
Cousins threw a duck low and a diving Drake London couldn’t quite hold on to it. Cousins evaded one sack attempt and managed to get one loose that was too high, but a defensive holding call on the Saints gave the Falcons some life. Robinson was tackled after a yard again. Allgeier then picked up four yards. Cousins then threw it to London short of the sticks, but it was knocked out of his hands. Punt, and the Falcons downed it inside the 10 yard line.
Estime was hit at the line of scrimmage and got a couple of yards. Tyler Shough then missed Kevin Austin Jr. over the middle. Shough tried Austin again, but CJ Henderson knocked it away. Jammie Robinson then dashed in and got a hand on the punt, which flew up into the air and landed before Feleipe Franks fell on it.
Bijan Robinson scored a touchdown, but a hold on Matthew Bergeron brought it back. An end zone shot to Mooney was knocked away. On the next play, Cousins had a ton of time and Drake London got wide open in the end zone, resulting in an easy touchdown. 7-0 Falcons.
A quick pass to Estime went for eight yards. Estime was stonewalled for a small loss. Juwan Johnson then made a stunning one handed grab on a deep ball from Shough for 20 plus. A swing pass to Dante Pettis was dropped for a loss by Dee Alford. Kentavius Street then sacked Shough.
2nd Quarter
A false start on the Saints made it 3rd and 23, but Cobee Bryant headed to the locker room. A quick pass to Taysom Hill got about 10 yards before Alford got him, and the Saints tried a 56 yard attempt that missed. Falcons ball.
Cousins fell, Robinson had nowhere to go, and the team lost a yard. Bijan then fought through trash and contact to pick up six yards. Cousins then found London again for a first down. Bijan then found his way to 12 yards and another first down. A swing pass to Allgeier then went for three yards. A short pass to London was knocked away. On third down, Cousins had the ball knocked out of his hand as he threw, and it fell incomplete to the turf. However, the Saints challenged it, and the ruling on the field was upheld. Zane Gonzalez then hit the 30 yard field goal try to make it 10-0 Falcons.
A false start kicked things off for the Saints. Estime got a yard or two on first down. Austin brought one in for about 12 yards. A wide open Estime got about 20 yards and a first down on a pass from Shough. A first down pass was tipped a bit by both Watts and Kaden Elliss, and Johnson couldn’t bring it in. Pettis then caught it, got a good block, and made it to the 20. Evan Hull then got seven yards. On second down, Alford blew in to nearly sack Shough and LaCale London finished him off. On third down, Shough scrambled for a first down, but a penalty on the Saints brought it back. Shough then took a deep shot, and Terrell was called for pass interference (it was a bad call). Estime picked up a couple of yards, and then another yard. Shough then got around a diving Jalon Walker and scored a touchdown. 10-7 Falcons.
Thompkins took it past the 30. Cousins threw it to Bijan as he was basically being tackled, losing seven yards. A moonball to Mooney was incomplete because he didn’t get his feet down. A quick pass to David Sills well short of the sticks got maybe seven yards. Punt, and it was a good one that ended with Pettis tackled inside the 20.
Estime got three yards. A low Shough ball fell incomplete, but the Saints challenged and it was overturned. That made it 3rd and 4. Austin reeled one in for a first down. Then Shough overshot Bell downfield. A quick pass to Austin got four yards. Shough then tried one over the middle and hit Divine Deablo, who was not the intended receiver, as it fell incomplete. Punt, and it was rolled to about the 17.
A quick pass to Bijan picked up about five yards before he got out bounds. A quick pass over the middle to Pitts and a timeout resulted in a first down. Cousins then slowly scrambled for a couple of yards. A pass over the middle to Pitts got close to 20 yards after he ran away from defenders, and then the Falcons spiked it. A delay of game on the Falcons backed them up five yards, and then Cousins had his pass deflected on the next play, leaving one second on the clock. Bijan then ran the half out.
3rd Quarter
Pettis took it for one yard. A pass to Estime saw him break a couple tackles en route to seven yards. Estime then plunged for a first down. Estime picks up three yards. James Pearce Jr. then sacked Shough on second down, breaking the franchise record for sacks along the way. Then he sacked Shough again to set the individual rookie sack record for a single year, as he hit 2.5. Punt, and Thompkins picked up close to 15.
Bijan picked up three yards. Then Cousins took a shot downfield and London reeled it in one-handed for 30-plus yards. Bijan couldn’t get much on first down. Cousins had to dirt it on second down with pressure in his face. Cousins threw it away out of bounds on the next play. Gonzalez was good from 51 yards, and though the Saints were called offsides, it didn’t give Atlanta a first down and they declined it. 13-7 Falcons.
Estime picked up three yards. Austin then reeled one in over the middle for a first down and then some. Austin then dropped a pass, Estime didn’t get much, and a six yard pass gave the Saints 4th and 4. Shough then found Johnson on the sideline for a first down. Estime picked up two, and followed that up with four yards. On third down, he was swallowed up by Pearce and Onyemata. An open Hill reeled in another first down. Shough then had to throw it away with Pearce coming. Estime then took it to the one yard line, and then was chopped down for no gain on the next play. Shough then got away from incoming pressure and got it to Austin for a touchdown, but an offensive pass interference call on New Orleans backed the Saints up 10 yards. The Saints just barely got a field goal to make it 13-10 Falcons.
A nice return took the Falcons to the 35. Bijan took it two yards on first down. A quick hitter to Pitts over the middle got a first down. With Cam Jordan closing in, Cousins stepped into a first down throw to London. Allgeier was then dropped for a loss.
4th Quarter
A quick pass to Mooney got six or seven yards. Cousins then hit Mooney again on the sideline, and this time it was a first down. Allgeier then busted off a few yards on first down, but Bijan got nothing on second down. Cousins then hit Pitts again, and he spun his way to a first down. Pitts managed to reel in a tipped pass for eight yards, but it was called incomplete after a quick review. Cousins then felt pressure and tried to take off, but was sacked by Granderson. On third down, Cousins tried a shot to London, and while there was contact, there was no call and London couldn’t reel it in. Gonzalez hit his field goal try to make it 16-10 Falcons.
Evan Hull took the kickoff back to just before the 25. JD Bertrand then broke up the first down pass attempt. They got five yards on second down, and then got Austin, but he dropped it when Alford hit him. Punt.
Bijan picked up four yards on first down. Pitts then caught one, stiff-armed a defender, and got about 15 yards and a first down. On the next play, the Falcons tried play action and Chase Young took down Cousins for a sack. On second down, Cousins threw it to Bijan, who had nowhere to go. A quick pass to Allgeier sailed over his head with Cousins under pressure. Punt, and Pettis lost a few yards on the return.
Estime got about five yards, and followed that up with a bulldozing run and about eight yards. He followed that up with close to nine yards. Shough then ran for close to 30 yards. Hull took it for three yards. A deep end zone shot to Bell was well-covered and just a little bit too far. On the next play, Alford read the throw, picked it off, and returned it past midfield for the mother of all game-changing interceptions.
Three straight Allgeier carries got about eight yards, and then Gonzalez hit his field goal try to make it 19-10 Falcons.
Shough missed Johnson on the next play. Shough then tucked it and ran for about four yards and got out of bounds. Alford knocked down Estime short of the first down. Estime then leaned forward and got a first down. Shough got away from a sack and threw on the run to Pettis for a big gain. Another pass over the middle to Pettis picked up 15 yards and a first down. Bell then reeled in a one-handed catch for a touchdown, and just like that it was 19-17 Falcons.
The Saints tried an onside kick and Pitts fell on it and fell out of bounds. That allowed the Falcons to kneel it out.
