NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Tyler Shough knew about the decades-old Falcons-Saints rivalry long before he was drafted by New Orleans last spring.
Now the rookie quarterback looks forward to making his first Superdome start in that matchup on Sunday.
“It’s a really cool opportunity,” said Shough, who went 1-1 in his first two NFL starts, both on the road. "I’m obviously new to the rivalry, but it feels a little bit different, for sure.
"That’s a good thing,” he
added.
The Falcons (3-7) and Saints (2-8) are in the midst of disappointing seasons. But the Atlanta-New Orleans matchup tends to be intense, regardless of where the teams are in the standings.
Saints veteran defensive end Cameron Jordan, now in his 15th season with New Orleans, has a long history of engaging in lighthearted mockery of the Falcons.
“The Fail-cons. Ain't-lanta. Can't-lanta. Those that don't rise up,” Jordan said. “There's a lot that comes to mind. And I mean it personally.”
After practice this week, as players gathered on the field before heading to the locker room, Jordan addressed teammates to give his take on the rivalry with Atlanta.
“He freakin’ hates them," a seemingly amused Shough said.
The Falcons, who played their first NFL game in 1966, and the Saints, who began play in 1967, have met 111 times in the regular season, with New Orleans winning 56 and Atlanta 55. They met once in the playoffs in 1991 — a game won by the Falcons.
Meanwhile, there's plenty on the line for individual players such as Shough, who was drafted 40th overall and aims to make his case for being New Orleans' QB of the future. His future looks more promising after his performance in a 17-7 victory at Carolina in Week 10.
“I want to be here for the long run," Shough said. "I love my teammates and love these guys and whoever’s here, we’re going to go out there and get after it.”
On the other side, 14-year veteran QB Kirk Cousins was pressed into service for Atlanta because of a knee injury to Michael Penix Jr., who's slated for season-ending surgery.
“My heart breaks for him,” Cousins said of Penix. "But I do think there’s a lot of resilient people in our locker room.
“That’s important — to just stay positive through whatever happens in this league,” Cousins added. "You’re going to have adversity, and when you face it, you’ve got to be ready to handle it well.”
Though Cousins started the Falcons’ 34-10 loss to Miami on Oct. 26 when Penix was held out with a bone bruise on his left knee, there was uncertainty through the week about the team’s plan at QB. This week, Cousins has known he was the starter since Monday and the Falcons have tailored their gameplan for him for the first time since his final start last season — a win at Las Vegas on Dec. 16.
“It’s really important,” Falcons coach Raheem Morris said. "The install is for him. The install is about him.”
Asked if he wants to prove in the final seven games he can still be an effective starter, Cousins said: “I don’t know about prove it to myself. It’s an opportunity. What a privilege it is to go out and play and you have to be grateful for the gift that it is.”
While top Saints wideout Chris Olave is in the midst of potentially the best of his four NFL seasons, the rest of the Saints' rotation at receiver will look different going forward.
The Saints granted veteran Brandin Cooks his request to be released this week, just two weeks after trading veteran deep threat Rashid Shaheed to Seattle.
Saints coach Kellen Moore said the second and third receivers in his offense now are expected to be Devaughn Vele, who has six catches for 54 yards and one touchdown, and fellow second-year pro Mason Tipton, who does not have a catch this season.
Since coming back from a collarbone injury during training camp, Darnell Mooney has just 16 catches for 224 yards and no touchdowns.
With top wide receiver Drake London out this week with a knee injury, the Falcons hope to see Mooney return to form.
Mooney had 64 catches for 992 yards and five touchdowns last season, with most of the production coming with Cousins at quarterback.
“I’d love to see him really be able to take off in this last stretch here,” Cousins said.
Mooney had three catches for 34 yards against Carolina last week.
The Saints' defense ranks ninth in yards passing allowed with 193.7 per game and has yet to allow a single receiver to gain 100 yards in a game.
In the past two seasons, the Saints have overhauled their secondary. Gone are former starting cornerbacks Marshon Lattimore and Paulson Adebo, replaced by fourth-year pro Alontae Taylor and second-year pro Kool-Aid McKinstry. The Saints have two new safeties in veteran Justin Reid and rookie Jonas Sanker. Another rookie, Quincy Riley, has become a regular, mostly as a slot defensive back, or nickelback.
“I love the way our back end has been growing and developing," Moore said. "It’s about playing assignment-sound football, not allowing explosive plays.”
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