What happens if the falcons beat the saints

One of the major aspects playing into this intense rivalry is the fact that each team has beaten up on the other about the same amount over their respective histories. Atlanta leads the all time series It seems as if the Saints were the only team whom the Falcons could beat in the early s. After New Orleans won the first ever matchup in , Atlanta rattled off nine consecutive wins between and , including a shellacking in the Bayou which stands to this day as the most lopsided game in this series.

Archie Manning helped bring New Orleans some success in the mids, as the Saints went against the Falcons between and , before Steve Bartkowski put the fanbase of Louisiana through an extended form of psychological torture from on.

Bart led the Birds on a run in this series, including a couple of last second victories in which helped Atlanta to their first ever playoff appearance. The most important game ever between these franchises happened in , when they met in the Wildcard Round of the playoffs.

Unfortunately for the Birds, the Drew Brees era between led to great sustained success for the Saints in this series. The most important game in the history of New Orleans football happened in the first matchup of that era. Players can see right through the motives of the coach based on the circumstance. Heading into a bye week off a win is much better for positive instruction and for additional rest. That additional rest can only help a team that's started to get bruised up like the Saints have been.

I'm not huge on the whole "my city is better than yours," or "my country is better than all others" argument. But let's be real—there's no way Atlanta is better than New Orleans. Atlanta is known for its food and music industry. Well New Orleans has its own food and its own music, and does both better than anyone else. So even if you're not a huge football fan, or Xs and Os type person, here's a good reason for the Saints to win. Let's not kid ourselves. Neither are the Carolina Panthers.

That leaves just the Saints and Falcons as realistic options to earn a first-round home game, or bye. Of course due to the Saints having to play the Giants—and the fact they unequivocally will destroy them on Monday Night Football—a first-round bye is very much in play for the winner of this game. This mindset continued to ring out as the Falcons got the ball back down by one with one minute and one second left to go in the game on Sunday. The offense wanted the ball.

Smith wanted the ball in Ryan's hands. There was an assured confidence there that perhaps hasn't been there before. It helps us believe that we can win and come through at the end. We just say it and keep saying it: It's our execution. Foye Oluokun is now the in-game decision-maker for the defense, not Deion Jones.

How did Dean Pees decide to change things up between the two? How is it working out for the linebackers? How Falcons became 'a team that believes' they can come through in the clutch: Tori's Takeaways Falcons upsets the Saints in New Orleans with a last-second kick, their third of the season Nov 07, at PM. His guess as to what that text may say?

In this case, "that" means having a win or loss come down to the final play of the game. Cordarrelle Patterson saves the day in win Three gut reactions to Falcons Week 9 upset against rival Saints.

But what is the foundation of that mindset and where does it come from? Smith said it's simple. The Falcons believe they can finish games, and that's the difference. Ryan's second scoring pass gave the Falcons a lead with left in the fourth quarter.

But the Saints rallied to briefly take the lead on Trevor Siemian 's 8-yard pass to Kenny Stills with left. New Orleans then missed a 2-point conversion try for the second time in the game, leaving the door open for the Falcons to win with a field goal. You were still holding your breath a little bit. The Falcons have seen their share of blown double-digit leads in recent years — none worse than a Super Bowl loss five seasons ago to the Patriots in overtime after leading The Falcons lost four fourth-quarter leads last season, when they also became the first team in NFL history to lose back-to-back games after leading by 15 or more in the fourth quarter.

But against their historical rivals in New Orleans, the Falcons didn't fold. Rather, Ryan pulled off his 41st career comeback. Ryan needed just one play to burn the Saints' defense for his fourth completion of more than 30 yards in the game — and his second long connection with Patterson.