WATCH: Atlanta Falcons Week 10 Superlatives
Welcome to another addition of Atlanta Falcons superlatives. After every Falcons win during the 2019 season, Falcon Maven will be publishing superlatives from the victory.
We didn't think it would take nearly two months before doing another superlatives piece after the Falcons victory against the Eagles in Week 2, but that's what happened with the six-game losing streak.
Atlanta improved to 2-7 after its 26-9 victory against the Saints on Sunday. With this win coming against a hated rival, let's savior it a little extra and dive right into the superlatives.
Best Performance - Grady Jarrett
The Falcons top defensive tackle has been stellar all season, but he was sensational in New Orleans on Sunday.
Jarrett led the Falcons with 2.5 sacks on the way to a team-high six sacks this season. Atlanta came into the afternoon with just seven sacks in its first eight games.
Jarrett also posted three tackles, including two for a loss and five quarterback hits.
Best Play - Brian Hill 10-yard touchdown reception
The Falcons game plan turned this contest into a bit of an ugly one, which didn't allow this game to have many highlights. But the most pivotal play of the afternoon belonged to running back Brian Hill.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, Hill hauled in a 10-yard reception on third-and-8 and snuck into the end zone for a touchdown. The score extended Atlanta's lead to 11.
Without that third-down conversion, the Falcons settle for a short field-goal attempt and the game remains a one-possession contest. The catch was Hill's first for a touchdown in his NFL career.
Best In-game Coaching Decision - Dan Quinn electing to go on fourth down in the first quarter
On the final play of the first quarter, the Falcons converted their only fourth-down attempt of the day with Matt Ryan scrambling for five yards on fourth-and-4. We were critical of Quinn's fourth-down decision making in the team's last game against the Seahawks, but this was the right call, and it led to Atlanta's first touchdown.
With seven losses already, the Falcons need to be more aggressive in the second half of the season. They really don't have much to lose, especially in road matchups as heavy underdogs.
Quinn rightfully recognized that and near midfield, his offense stayed on the field for fourth-and-4. That drive turned into a 17-play, eight-minute march, resulting in a 10-3 Falcons lead.
Unsung Hero - Isaiah Oliver and Kendall Sheffield
The Falcons secondary allowed Saints receiver Michael Thomas to catch 13 of his 14 targets for 152 yards. Jared Cook and Alvin Kamara had nice receiving days as well, but the next closest Saints wideout to Thomas in terms of yards was Tre'Quan Smith with only one reception for 13 yards.
The Atlanta secondary prevented Drew Brees from developing a second deep option, which really helped the Falcons keep the Saints out of the end zone.
Best New Addition - Younghoe Koo
The 25-year-old kicker went 4-for-4 on field-goal attempts and hit both of his extra-point tries. He was 2-for-2 in the first half, which helped the Falcons build a 13-6 halftime lead.
Koo still needs to be tested on longer kicks, but he passed his first exam in the Falcons' Week 10 win.
