Falcons, Saints are in similar spots — but taking very different approaches

Greg Auman

NFC South Reporter

The Falcons and Saints have shown how much can change at the end of a game. Can the same be said for their seasons?

This year has seen dramatic swings in the fourth quarter for both teams, starting with their meeting in Week 1, which saw Atlanta comfortably ahead 26-10 with 12 minutes to play, only to see New Orleans rally for three scores and a 27-26 victory.

Unexpected finishes are almost expected now. In their last game, the Saints held a 16-3 lead on the Bucs and the ball with six minutes left, only to have Tom Brady and Tampa Bay escape with two touchdown drives, the last scoring with three seconds left. The Falcons had first-and-goal opportunities for go-ahead touchdowns in the fourth quarters of their last two games and left with losses both times.

They’ve both had good teams on the ropes, just missing out on huge wins. Atlanta, once up 10 against the Chargers, lost on a field goal as time expired. New Orleans, rallying for the lead on the Vikings in the fourth quarter in London, lost on a field goal with 24 seconds left. The Saints had a 10-point lead on the Bengals and led in the fourth quarter, only to give up the final 10 points, including a 60-yard touchdown in the final two minutes.

As they meet Sunday in New Orleans, can either team mount one final push to challenge for a still wide-open NFC South title? The Saints would be eliminated from contention with a loss — it would be their 10th, something they haven’t done since before Drew Brees came to town, in 2005. The Falcons wouldn’t be eliminated, especially if the Bucs continue to lose, but they’re also running out of time to even keep up with the surprising Panthers.

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So much has changed for both teams since their Week 1 meeting. The Saints had Jameis Winston throwing two touchdowns to receiver Michael Thomas, but neither of them has played since September. The Falcons had Marcus Mariota at quarterback and hope of a big season from tight end Kyle Pitts, but neither will play again this season, with Mariota benched (and now facing knee surgery) and Pitts lost to his own knee injury a month ago.

The teams have turned in opposite directions at quarterback, with New Orleans settling in with 35-year-old Andy Dalton, who has 15 touchdowns against seven interceptions, and the Falcons shifting now to third-round draft pick Desmond Ridder, 23, who has yet to take an NFL snap but has a four-game audition to show what he can do as a potential starter in 2023.

“I think the only spark that this locker room is looking for is a win,” the rookie quarterback from Cincinnati said this week. “I think we’re just excited to go out there and play. Everyone’s coming off a bye week, so obviously you know everyone’s got some energy. Everyone’s juiced up and ready to go and fired up to play the Saints.”

The Saints have looked at Ridder’s preseason work, trying to anticipate what the Falcons typically run-heavy offense might look like, and the extra week of preparation has helped them anticipate what’s ahead.

“You’re just trying to put all the pieces of the puzzle together,” coach Dennis Allen said this week. “I feel like we’ve got a pretty good idea of what they’ll try to do with him, but yet I’m sure there will be some adjusting as we get into the game.”

Saints running back Alvin Kamara, who topped 100 yards of total offense four straight games in Week 5-8, hasn’t come close in the last five games, totaling 137 rushing yards and 146 receiving. New Orleans has scored 16 points or less in each of their four losses in that span but the Saints recognize the importance of keeping hopes alive and starting the final stretch with a win Sunday.

“You can’t play this game halfway,” Kamara said. “We’re not eliminated. Even if we were eliminated, you still have to get up for Sundays. If you’re not mentally in it every week, throughout the week and on Sundays, it’s a recipe for disaster. We’re still in here, trying to go 1-0 this week. That’s all the mentality is. That’s what we’re focused on. I don’t think there’s really any hanging heads, anybody walking around feeling sorry for themselves. We just need to do what we need to do to win. That’s it.”

Can either team muster a final push to challenge the Bucs and Panthers and find an unexpected success to close out the season? That answer starts Sunday for both teams.

The Falcons are balancing short-term and long-term needs, trying to find out more about Ridder while still staying in contention, just a game out of first place, knowing they host the Bucs in the season finale, potentially with a division title on the line.

“Obviously this is a good test for (Ridder), going on the road against a divisional opponent, veteran defense,” Falcons coach Arthur Smith said. “The defense is really fundamentally sound, they’ve been together for a while, and most of the core group, they know who they are. You want to see him operate, see how he handles the pressure, the stress of situational football, line of scrimmage, in between series there’s a lot of things. Obviously, we need to go down there and get the win but as you’re evaluating him short-term and then really seeing long term and how he’s handling a lot of stuff.”

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Greg Auman is FOX Sports’ NFC South reporter, covering the Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers and Saints. He is in his 10th season covering the Bucs and the NFL full-time, having spent time at the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.