Falcons vs. Saints: Live Updates & Highlights: New Orleans Wins 48-17
The wait is finally over for the Atlanta Falcons regular-season finale versus the New Orleans Saints. After 18 weeks, the fate of the Falcons all comes down to this. Will Atlanta lock in a top-10 draft pick or do everything in the team's power to make the playoffs and establish a culture?
Head coach Arthur Smith's name has been in and out of the headlines all season as many have tried to predict whether or not he will be coaching the Falcons next season.
Derek Carr will be leading the New Orleans Saints in an attempt to crack the playoffs by beating the Atlanta Falcons.
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Early season success had Smith looking like a safe bet to remain the head coach in Atlanta long term, but after falling down to No. 3 in the NFC South, Smith's future may be counting on a win today to silence firing rumors.
How Atlanta fares could help or hurt the team's future going forward. One major concern with this roster is its lack of a competent quarterback capable of leading the team to a championship or perhaps even the playoffs.
First-year starter Desmond Ridder proved himself to be extremely turnover prone, with most of his advertised versatility entering the season as both a passing and rushing threat only being true for the team's offense in the form of turnovers as he both fumbled and threw interceptions with frustrating regularity.
His veteran backup, Taylor Heinicke, didn't prove himself to be much better. Although throwing the ball better, Heinicke doesn't look like the future of the Falcons so much as a string backup.
If the team loses today, then it will likely be drafting a quarterback with its top pick, but if it wins, it may fall too far down the board to elevate the team's ceiling going forward.
FIRST QUARTER:
Saints Ball- Hill with an 11-yard reception.
Williams five-yard reception.
Williams runs for a loss of one yards.
Carr sacked for a loss of nine yards.
Punt.
Falcons Ball- Robinson run for a loss of one yard.
Robinson six yard reception.
Miller 56-yard reception.
London nine-yard reception.
15-yard penalty on Atlanta for unnecessary roughness.
Allgeier two-yard rush.
Smith 15-yard reception for a TOUCHDOWN!
Atlanta leads 7-0 with 8:42 remaining in first quarter
Saints Ball- Hill four-yard rush.
Shaheed 20-yard reception.
Williams three-yard rush.
Hill eight-yard rush.
Miller nine-yard rush.
Hill three-yard reception.
Perry 18-yard receiving TOUCHDOWN!
New Orleans ties it up 7-7
Falcons Ball- Robinson four-yard rush.
Robinson 71-yard reception for a TOUCHDOWN!
Atlanta takes back lead 14-7 with 4:13 remaining
Saints Ball- Miller five-yard rush.
Hill eight-yard rush.
Williams three-yard reception.
Incomplete pass.
Olave 14-yard reception.
Williams one-yard rush.
Hill eight-yard reception.
Williams two-yard rush.
SECOND QUARTER
Incomplete pass.
Miller two-yard rush.
Hill six-yard reception.
Carr six-yard rush.
Williams four-yard rush.
Williams one-yard rush.
Miller three-yard rushing TOUCHDOWN!
Saints tie the game with 11:04 remaining in the first half
Falcons Ball- Patterson four-yard rush.
Robinson five-yard rush. HOLDING PENALTY.
Robinson five-yard reception.
Smith six-yard reception.
Punt.
Saints Ball- Miller 12-yard rush.
Hill sacked for a loss of one yard.
Olave 16-yard reception.
Williams two-yard loss.
Miller six-yard reception.
NEW ORLEANS FIRST TIMEOUT
Miller one-yard rush.
Punt.
Falcons Ball- Allgeier one-yard rush.
Ridder run for no gain.
Robinson three-yard rush.
Punt.
Saints Ball- Williams two-yard rush.
Neutral zone infraction.
TWO MINUTE WARNING
Johnson eight-yard reception.
Neutral zone infraction.
Incomplete pass.
Miller six-yard rush.
Shaheed six-yard reception.
Incomplete pass.
Hill loss of one yard.
ATLANTA TIMEOUT
24-yard field goal is GOOD!
New Orleans takes 17-14 lead, 56 second remaining in the half.
Falcons Ball- Incomplete pass.
19-yard reception for Pitts.
Robinson eight-yard rush.
Incomplete pass.
NEW ORLEANS SECOND TIMEOUT
Pruitt 17-yard reception.
Robinson four-yard reception.
Jefferson seven-yard reception.
ATLANTA SECOND TIMEOUT
Robinson two-yard reception.
Jefferson six-yard reception.
Koo's 30-yard field goal attempt is GOOD!
Halftime: Game tied 17-17
Falcons Ball- Allgeier runs for a one-yard loss.
Robinson three-yard rush.
Ridder throws an INTERCEPTION!
Saints Ball- Williams rush for one-yard loss.
Olave 26-yard receiving TOUCHDOWN!
New Orleans takes 24-17 lead with 13:01 remaining in the third quarter
Falcons Ball- Robinson three-yard rush.
Patterson six-yard rush.
Incomplete pass.
Punt.
Saints Ball- Miller 18-yard rush.
Miller three-yard rush.
Johnson 20-yard reception.
Miller run for no gain.
Shaheed 39-yard receiving TOUCHDOWN!
New Orleans extends 31-17 third-quarter lead
Falcons Ball- London nine-yard reception.
Allgeier eight-yard rush.
Robinson one-yard rush.
Incomplete pass.
London 21-yard reception.
Robinson one-yard rush.
Smith eight-yard reception.
Robinson four-yard rush.
Allgeier six-yard reception.
Robinson seven-yard reception.
Patterson seven-yard rush.
London two-yard reception.
Patterson run for one-yard loss.
Incomplete pass.
Turnover on downs.
Saints Ball- Williams two-yard rush.
Incomplete pass.
Perry 29-yard reception.
FOURTH QUARTER
Hill 27-yard rush.
Moreau three-yard reception.
Miller 11-yard rush.
Hill five-yard rush.
Williams eight-yard rush.
Miller three-yard rush.
Williams four-yard rush.
Incomplete pass.
Grupe 24-yard field goal is GOOD!
New Orleans extends 34-17 fourth-quarter lead, 9:57 remaining
Falcons Ball- Pitts eight-yard reception.
Robinson two-yard rush.
Ridder FUMBLE!
Saints Ball- Incomplete pass.
False start.
Perry six-yard touchdown!
New Orleans extends 41-17 fourth-quarter lead, 9:02 remaining
Falcons Ball- Patterson four-yard rush.
Incomplete pass.
Incomplete pass.
Punt.
Saints Ball- Miller run for no gain.
Williams reception for no gain.
Bowden five-yard reception.
False start.
Punt.
Falcons Ball- Woodside in at quarterback. False start.
Robinson one-yard rush.
Allgeier six-yard rush.
Punt.
Saints Ball- Williams run for two yards.
Bowden fumble recovered, but three-yard loss.
Carr sacked for a 12 -yard loss.
Punt.
Falcons Ball- FitzPatrick 12-yard reception.
TWO MINUTE WARNING
Woodside six-yard scramble.
Allgeier five-yard reception.
Woodside throws an INTERCEPTION to Mathieu
Saints Ball- Williams one-yard TOUCHDOWN!
New Orleans extends 48-17 fourth-quarter lead, 1:10 remaining
Falcons Ball- Allgeier three-yard rush.
Miller 10-yard reception.
Final: New Orleans Wins 48-17
