5 things we learned from the Falcons’ win over the Saints
NEW ORLEANS — The Falcons stopped the bleeding from a five-game losing streak Sunday with their 24-10 victory over the rebuilding Saints.
“It was big,” Falcons wide receiver David Sills V said. “It’s something that there’s ebbs and flows to the NFL season. I think everybody that’s played in there knows that. It was definitely big to get this one.”
The Falcons put together a couple of touchdown drives and didn’t shoot themselves in the foot. The defense didn’t cough up the lead and the kicker made his kicks.
Amazing.
The Falcons stumbled onto a winning formula with quarterback Kirk Cousins at the controls for the injured Michael Penix Jr.
“When he’s out there, we kind of know what we’re going to get out of him,” Sills said. “He’s been in a lot of situations, pretty much every situation you can think of, so he knows how to go in there and play the position and do really well at it.”
The Falcons hadn’t won a game since defeating Buffalo 24-14 on Oct. 13. Back then, the Falcons were looking like a playoff team. After losing their next five, they are in a scramble to stay relevant and essentially need to run the table to make the playoffs.
“We’ve got to move forward as an offense,” Sills said.
Here are the five things we learned from the win over the pitiful Saints:
1. Captain Kirk came to the rescue
Cousins didn’t let the Falcons quarterback drama keep him from turning in a solid effort.
We don’t need to recap everything here, but the on-again, off-again relationship will move forward with him as the quarterback for the rest of the season. Allegations of betrayal, lack of trust and trade demands are a thing of the past.
“Yeah, you know, obviously he dealt with so many ups and downs,” running back Bijan Robinson said. “So, for him, this is just another step in his role that he’s taken. I think he did an amazing job.”
Cousins probably won’t be throwing much to tight end Kyle Pitts, who had two drops and didn’t fight for the ball that was tipped by Kool-Aid McKinstry and intercepted by Justin Reid.
The Pitts era probably is over in Atlanta.
“For (Cousins) this is a long season for him as well,” Robinson said. “So, for him to come out here and help get this win and keep us going (was big).”
2. Deablo, Floyd made welcome returns
The defense was much stouter with the return of linebacker Divine Deablo and outside linebacker Leonard Floyd.
Deablo played 79 of the 80 defensive snaps (99%) and added some teeth back into the run defense. He finished with eight one-armed tackles, as he played with a soft cast on his left hand.
Floyd, who had a hamstring injury, played 42 of the snaps (52%) in the outside linebacker rotation as he returned to the starting lineup. He finished with three tackles, a tackle for loss and a quarterback hit.
Floyd, although he has not been piling up stats this season, and Zach Harrison were the highest rated defenders by the Saints in their video review before the game. Harrison was placed on injured reserve Saturday with a knee injury.
The Falcons held the Saints to 79 yards rushing on 28 carries for a 2.8 yards per carry average.
3. No replacement found for London
Sills caught his first career touchdown. Also, Dylan Drummond caught all three of his targets for 18 yards. Darnell Mooney caught a 49-yard bomb for a touchdown as the group tried to replace Drake London.
Wide receiver Casey Washington was a healthy scratch.
The Falcons are hopeful that London (knee) can return to face the Jets on Sunday.
“It was awesome,” Sills said of his 9-yard TD grab that made the score 10-0 in the second quarter. “We did a great job up front, gave (which) me a chance. It was awesome.”
4. Big plays by Bijan got the offense moving
Robinson had a 32-yard run and 32-yard reception as the Falcons used a string of big plays to get the offense moving.
Robinson rushed 14 times for 70 yards and caught two passes for 37 yards.
It was the seventh time this season he’s had at least 100 yards from scrimmage. Since he was drafted in 2023, Robinson has eclipsed the 100-yard mark in scrimmage yards an NFL-best 25 times.
“(Right guard) Chris (Lindstrom), he’s the (leader) of it all,” Robinson said. “He gets everybody hyped. He’s walking back and forth on the sidelines. Doesn’t matter offense or defense. He’s making sure everybody’s still locked in, everybody’s still trying to play their hearts out.”
5. Gonzalez was 3-for-3 on field goal attempts
What if the Falcons bought in Zane Gonzalez to have a competition with Younghoe Koo in training camp? Koo missed seven field-goal attempts last season and was shaky.
Well, that’s water under the bridge now.
Gonzalez made field goals of 56, 41 and 54 yards Sunday.
“The kicks are just such a big deal,” Cousins said. “You do all you can as an offense to not have to rely on it, but you also know that it can be such a big part of your team’s success.”
About the Author
Honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his "long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football," D. Orlando Ledbetter, Esq. has covered the NFL 28 seasons. A graduate of Howard University, he's a winner of Georgia Sportswriter of the Year and three Associated Press Sports Editor awards.
