We're off and running into Week 4 of the NFL regular season, and the New Orleans Saints are set to face off with the archrival Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football. This is always an intense matchup but the historical significance adds another layer. New Orleans is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Saints reopening the Superdome (and beating the Falcons) after Hurricane Katrina.
How do you see this one playing out? Here are our picks.
Saints 27, Falcons 24
The Falcons finally found a quarterback who can get the ball to all of those weapons like RB Bijan Robinson, TE Kyle Pitts, and WR Drake London, but they might have trouble against a Saints defense that routinely punches above its weight class. The real question is whether New Orleans can take advantage
of an undermanned Atlanta defense to get QB Tyler Shough into scoring position. He is spearheading one of the game's best red zone offenses, and his chemistry with WR Chris Olave has led to a ton of big gains through the air. This one should be as close as Saints-Falcons games always seem to be.
Bold prediction: Tyler Shough isn't sacked even once after going down eight times in his first three games. -- John Sigler
Saints 30, Falcons 28
I see this as another one score game in a hotly contested rivalry where the average score differential is less than two points over their 114-game history. This is a far better Saints passing attack than the Falcons faced twice last year or have played so far this season. It'll show, as the Tyler Shough to Chris Olave/Devaughn Vele/Juwan Johnson combination continues to roll and makes up for the rushing loss of Travis Etienne. The Saints must keep Bijan Robinson from steam rolling through them for a chance. Robinson will get his numbers against a defense that's been nearly helpless against the run. However, New Orleans gets to Michael Penix often with Chase Young, Cameron Jordan, and Kaden Elliss to keep Kyle Pitts and Drake London from piling up eye-popping statistics. The Saints will force a few key turnovers from Penix, which will be enough to pull it out with Shough's fireworks.
Bold prediction: Tyler Shough hits several big plays down the field and throws for at least 370 yards. Two of Shough's receivers will have a 100-yard day, while Alvin Kamara reaches the end zone for the first time in 2026. -- Bob Rose
Falcons 28, Saints 21
Week 4 of the NFL season brings an intriguing matchup to the table, with the 1-2 New Orleans Saints set to take on the 1-2 Atlanta Falcons. With the division lead on the line for the time being, this will be a brutal one, and both sides are missing key contributors. Ultimately, the Falcons looked pretty lethal with the return of Michael Penix Jr. last week, while the Saints struggled and lost against the Las Vegas Raiders. This will likely be a heavily ground based attack for both sides, and Bijan Robinson holds the edge over the Saints current group.
Bold prediction: CJ Donaldson ends up being the most productive Saints running back, and pushes himself higher up the depth chart after rushing for 80-plus rushing and a touchdown. -- Jeremy Trottier
Saints 31, Falcons 27
The Saints lean on Shough against an Atlanta defense that enters Week 4 ranked poorly against the Pass. Chris Olave scores several times as New Orleans finds its rhythm early and forces the Falcons to keep pace. Bijan Robinson keeps Atlanta in it, but Shough delivers the winning touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter to get the Saints back to .500.
Bold prediction: Tyler Shough throws for 350 yards and four touchdowns. -- Arye Pulli
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Staff picks and bold predictions for Saints vs. Falcons final score
