A stagnant offensive showing by the New Orleans Saints yielded a 24-10 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday
As the Saints struggled to find the end zone at home, the team’s NFC South division rival took advantage of the opportunities. Rookie quarterback Tyler Shough found out that, despite moving the ball down the field, winning stems from putting points on the board.
The Saints attempted a comeback with a 16-10 lead in the fourth quarter until Atlanta quarterback Kirk Cousins threw a 49-yard touchdown pass to Darnell Mooney to put the game away. It was Cousins’ second touchdown pass of the afternoon.
Scoring summary
Atlanta struck first with a 56-yard field goal by Zane Gonzalez following a fumble by Saints’ running back Alvin Kamara. The Falcons added to their advantage when Cousins tossed a 9-yard touchdown pass to David Sills.
Shortly after the Saints gave the ball back, Cousins threw a pass to New Orleans Safety Justin Reid, who scored the team’s only touchdown on a 49-yard pick-six in the first half. It was the Saints’ first pick-six since Tyrann Mathieu’s against New England in 2023. It was Reid’s first interception for the Saints.
New Orleans kicker Blake Grupe missed two field goals inside of 50 yards in the first half. The first, from 38 yards, and the next, from 47 yards, sailed wide right with 56 seconds left in the second quarter.
The Superdome crowd was not excited the second time, and there was audible grumbling in the stands after Cousins quickly drove the Falcons for Gonzalez’s third field goal of the game to make it 16-7 at halftime. Both teams struggled offensively in the third quarter, due to penalties or turnovers on downs.
In the final quarter, New Orleans got an opportunity within a field goal early, but on third-and-goal, a snap was high, and Taysom Hill was forced to run the ball down and throw it away, being called for intentional grounding. They settled for a field goal to cut the deficit to 16-10.
Coach’s comments
With a home loss, first-year New Orleans head coach Kellen Moore was disappointed with what he perceived to be a lack of proper communication from his team.
“I think everyone offensively was not on the same page, and we didn’t communicate, specifically in the red zone,” Moore said.
Numbers never lie
Shough was 30 of 43 for 243 yards with one interception. Rookie running back Devin Neal saw a lot of action after Kamara left the game in the first half with a knee injury. Neal had seven carries for 18 yards and caught five passes for 43 yards. Specialist Taysom Hill also saw increased snaps, carrying 10 times for 17 yards and attempting two passes. Receiver Chris Olave had nine catches for 70 yards.
Cousins passed for 199 yards and two touchdowns for Atlanta in his second start this season, and the Falcons ended a five-game skid with the victory. Taking over under center because of Michael Penix Jr.’s season-ending knee injury, Cousins completed 16 of 23 passes.
Next up
The Saints will play against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, Nov. 30, at Hard Rock Stadium. Game time is scheduled for 12 p.m. CT
