Falcons finish season with four straight wins, with 19-17 victory over Saints

Despite both teams having losing records, playing to not finish in last is somewhat significant.

New Orleans Saints running back Audric Estime (30) carries past Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle David Onyemata (90) in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

By AJC Sports

Jan 4, 2026

The winner of the Falcons-Saints game will determine the NFC South champion.

That’s a headline, but it’s not for the benefit of the Falcons or Saints. If the Falcons win, it creates a three-way tie for first with the Buccaneers and Panthers. Carolina has the tiebreaker because of a 3-1 head-to-head record against the other two teams.

With a Saints victory, Tampa Bay wins the tiebreaker because the Buccaneers have the advantage over just the Panthers.

Got it?

They can’t win the division, but there’s some consolation for the Falcons. If they beat the Saints, they would finish with four straight victories, putting them at eight for the season. With a loss, the Falcons will be tied with the Saints for last in the division.

That’s an underwhelming consolation prize, but for a season that seemed washed out a few weeks ago, it would be quite an accomplishment to show that coach Raheem Morris still has the team in his corner, when they could have quit on the season and mentally checked out.

Check out the live updates from Sunday’s game: