Canal Street Chronicles
The New Orleans Saints will ride a four-game winning streak into the final week of the NFL regular season with hopes of downing NFC South rival Atlanta Falcons on the road, ending their 2025 campaign on a high note. Last week, Atlanta pulled an upset over the Los Angeles Rams while the Saints picked up a statement victory over the Tennessee Titans.
New Orleans currently has the 23rd-ranked offense in the league, averaging 311.9 yards and just over 18 points per game with 22 giveaways on the year. Atlanta has forced 18 takeaways this season while allowing averages of 323.3 yards and 24 points per game to opposing offenses. They sit as the 14th-ranked defense.
Last time the two divisional opponents squared off, the Atlanta Falcons earned a 24-10 victory over the Saints at the Caesars Superdome in week 12. That win snapped a five-game losing skid for the Falcons, while the same result became the first of back-to-back losses for New Orleans.
Tyler Shough passed for 243 yards and an interception in what was just his third start of the year. Not only was the rookie quarterback the leading passer in the game, but he also managed to be the Saints’ leading rusher with 22 yards on the ground in what proved to be a poor offensive outing.
Only 57 total rushing yards came from players not named Shough for the Saints. Devin Neal and Taysom Hill finished with 18 and 17 yards, respectively. Mason Tipton and Alvin Kamara each added 11.
Wide receiver Chris Olave was the Saints’ leading pass catcher in the first meeting, finishing with 70 yards on nine receptions. Tight end Juwan Johnson caught the ball six times and added 46 receiving yards.
Atlanta’s Dee Alford finished as the Falcons’ leading tackler with ten. He also added a pass deflection to the stat sheets. Linebacker Kaden Elliss followed with nine tackles credited.
Safety Xavier Watts snagged the Tyler Shough thrown interception while Elijah Wilkinson and Alford came away with the two fumble recoveries for the Falcons.
With both teams eliminated from playoff contention and just playing for draft position, player experience, and bragging rights, I think that week 18’s matchup will result in a much closer game. New Orleans has not been swept by Atlanta in the regular season since 2016, and while it may not have been perfect, I can’t imagine there would be many Saints’ fans who wouldn’t consider a win over the Dirty Birds and a 7-10 overall record a successful season as a foundational piece to this rebuild.
