Falcons vs. Saints: Late Turnover Costs Atlanta in 21-18 Loss
The Atlanta Falcons (5-8) face off against the New Orleans Saints (4-9) Sunday afternoon at Caesars Superdome.
The Falcons sit one game behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-7) for first place in the division, while the Saints are two back. Atlanta has lost three of four, so the team is hoping today's game will spark some momentum heading into the last quarter of the year.
Third-round rookie Desmond Ridder is making his NFL debut this afternoon, starting for Marcus Mariota, who was benched for poor play and then placed on injured reserve (IR).
RECORDS: Atlanta Falcons (5-8) vs. New Orleans Saints (4-9)
TV/RADIO: FOX | 92.9 FM The Game
ODDS: ATL +6.5 (+105) | NO -6.5
MONEYLINE: FALCONS (+175) | SAINTS (-213)
TICKETS VIA SI TICKETS
Over/under: 43.5 – Over (-110) | Under (-110)
GAME TIME: Sunday, December 18th, 2022 at 1:00 p.m.
LOCATION: Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, LA
Here's a look at the Falcons inactives ...
S Jovante Moffatt
CB Rashad Fenton
OL Chuma Edoga
WR Frank Darby
DL Matt Dickerson
Here's a look at the Saints inactives ...
RB Eno Benjamin
OL Lewis Kidd
CB Marshon Lattimore
DE Payton Turner
RB Dwayne Washington
DB P.J. Williams
Stick with Falcon Report throughout the afternoon for live updates, highlights and drive-by-drive coverage.
First Quarter:
Atlanta won the toss and deferred. The Saints get the ball to start the game after the touchback.
Andy Dalton's first pass of the game is intended for Rashid Shaheed and falls incomplete. Alvin Kamara gets the carry and only gains a yard on second down. On third and nine, Dalton completes a pass to Juwan Johnson for 14 yards and a first down.
Dalton hands it off to Kamara and he only gains one yard again. Dalton drops back again and finds Chris Olave for 17 yards and another first down.
Kamara gets the carry on first down and gains five yards. Dalton completes his third pass in a row, this time to Shaheed for 18 yards to Atlanta's 20-yard line.
Kamara only gains a yard on first down. Dalton's pass falls incomplete in the end zone. On third and nine, Dalton's pass to Johnson is complete for 18 yards to the Falcons' one-yard line. Saints' head coach Dennis Allen challenges the ruling that Johnson was short of the goal line. After review, the call is overturned to a touchdown.
Will Lutz's extra point is good with 10:06 left in the first quarter.
Saints 7, Falcons 0
Change of possession.
The Falcons begin their drive at the 25-yard line after the touchback.
Desmond Ridder goes deep on the first play of his career and it's incomplete. Caleb Huntley gets the handoff and only gains a yard. On third and nine, Ridder scrambles and his pass intended for Mychal Pruitt falls incomplete.
Bradley Pinion's punt is caught by Shaheed at the Saints' 26-yard line where he's tackled immediately.
Change of possession.
David Johnson runs for five yards on first down. Tayson Hill takes the snap and goes deep and finds Shaheed behind Atlanta's defense and he runs it in for a 68-yard touchdown.
Lutz's extra point is good with 8:17 left in the first quarter.
Saints 14, Falcons 0
Change of possession.
Lutz's kickoff goes through the back of the end zone for a touchback.
Tyler Allgeier gets the carry and runs for eight yards. After play action, Ridder rolls left and his pass to Olamide Zaccheaus is broken up. Tyron Mathieu is flagged for defensive pass interference and it moves Atlanta into Saints territory.
Cordarrale Patterson loses a yard on first down. On second and 11, Ridder goes deep and it falls incomplete. Ridder drops back to pass again and it's incomplete.
Pinion's punt lands at New Orleans' eight-yard line where Shaheed calls for a fair catch.
Change of possession.
Johnson rushes for two yards on first down. Hill keeps it and runs for six yards. On third and two, Dalton's pass is complete to Adam Prentice and he breaks a tackle to gain two yards and a first down.
Kamara runs for nine yards on first down. Kamara gets another carry on second down and he loses three yards after getting tackled by Grady Jarrett. A false start by Dalton moves New Orleans back five yards. On third and nine, Lorenzo Carter sacks Dalton for a loss of seven yards.
Blake Gillikin's punt is caught by Avery Williams at the Falcons' 37-yard line where he calls for a fair catch.
Change of possession.
Patterson loses two yards on first down. On second and 12, Ridder's pass is complete to Pruitt for six yards. Ridder connects with Drake London for 11 yards and a first down at the Saints 47-yard line.
Ridder keeps it and runs for seven yards. That's the final play of the first quarter.
End of the quarter.
Second Quarter:
Feleipe Franks is in the game and keeps it but only gets back to the line of scrimmage. On third and three, Ridder's pass is complete to London for 13 yards and a first down.
Patterson gets the carry and runs for four yards. Ridder finds London again and he makes a one-handed grab for nine yards and a first down at New Orleans' 14-yard line.
Ridder completes a swing pass to Patterson for eight yards. Ridder's pass intended for Zaccheaus is nearly intercepted. On third and three, Ridder gets sacked for a loss of three yards.
The 28-yard field goal by Young-Hoe Koo is good.
Saints 14, Falcons 3
Change of possession.
New Orleans starts the drive at its 25-yard line after the touchback.
Dalton's pass to Olave along the sideline is complete for 21 yards.
Kamara gets the handoff on a jet sweep and he gains 13 yards to Atlanta's 41-yard line.
Johnson comes into the game and runs for four yards. Hill's pass to Juwan Johnson is complete for 13 yards and another first down.
Kamara gets another carry and he gains five yards to Atlanta's 19-yard line. Dalton completes a pass to Kamara for four yards. On third and one, David Johnson gets the carry and gains two yards before fumbling and it's recovered by Carter at Atlanta's 15-yard line.
Change of possession.
Allgeier gets the carry and runs for four yards. Ridder looks for London on second down but the pass is incomplete. On third and six, Rudder scrambles to escape pressure and gets three yards.
After a false start, Pinion's punt is caught by Shaheed at the Saints' 36-yard line and he only gains a yard with 5:37 left in the first half.
Change of possession.
Kamara runs for four yards on first down. Hill comes into the game and runs for 18 yards to Atlanta's 41-yard line.
Dalton's pass intended for Adam Trautman is incomplete. Hill runs for three yards on second down. On third and seven, Dalton's pass to Jarvis Landry is knocked away by Dee Alford.
Blake Gillikin's punt is downed at Atlanta's two-yard line.
Change of possession.
Allgeier gains eight yards on first down. Allgeier gets another carry and gets three yards for a first down.
Ridder hands it off to Allgeier and he runs for seven yards on the final play before the two-minute warning. Ridder's pass to London is nearly intercepted and falls incomplete. On third and three, Ridder hands it off to Allgeier and he gains seven yards.
This time Allgeier gets the ball on a screen from Ridder but he loses three yards. New Orleans calls a timeout with 1:09 left in the half. Ridder keeps it on second down but only gets back to the line of scrimmage. The Saints call their second timeout with 1:03 left. On third and 13, Allgeier gets the carry and he runs for 15 yards.
Ridder's pass to London is complete for eight yards. The Falcons call their first timeout with 36 seconds remaining in the half. Ridder completes a pass to Williams for six yards and he goes out of bounds at New Orleans' 46-yard line.
Ridder keeps it but only gains a yard before being pushed out of bounds. Ridder's pass intended for Zaccheus falls incomplete. On third and nine, Ridder's pass to Anthony Firkser is incomplete.
Shaheed calls for a fair catch at the Saints' 13-yard line.
Change of possession.
Dalton takes a knee and that's the final play of the first half.
Halftime.
Third Quarter:
Atlanta will begin the drive at its 25-yard line after the touchback.
After flirting with disaster in the first half, Ridder is intercepted by Alontae Taylor on the first play of the second half at Atlanta's 33-yard line. The play is under further review.
After further review, the pass is ruled incomplete. Taylor only got one foot in bounds.
Patterson gets the handoff and runs for 11 yards.
A neutral zone infraction on the Saints makes it first and five. Patterson gets another carry and loses three yards. Ridder hands it off to Patterson again and he runs for six yards. On third and two, Allgeier breaks a huge run for 43 yards to the Saints' 12-yard line.
Allgeir gets another carry and gains six yards. On second and four, Ridder rolls left and the pass to London is incomplete. There are flags for offensive holding and defensive pass interference, so they offset and they'll replay second down. Patterson gets a yard on the carry. On third and two, Allgeier runs it into the end zone from five yards out.
Koo's extra point is good with 10:46 left in the third quarter.
Saints 14, Falcons 10
Change of possession.
Kamara gets the handoff and runs for nine yards. On second down, he barely gets back to the line of scrimmage. On third and one, Dalton sneaks it for two yards and a first down.
Dalton's pass to Olave is complete for 18 yards to Atlanta's 48-yard line.
Kamara runs for seven yards on first down. Kamara gets another carry and he gains two yards. On third and one, Kamara gains four yards for a first down.
Dalton's pass to Shaheed is complete for nine yards. Before second and one, Trevor Penning is flagged for a false start. On second and six, Dalton completes a pass to Kamara for nine yards.
Hill gets the carry and only gains a yard. Dalton's pass to Juwan Johnson is complete and he runs it into the end zone for a 22-yard touchdown.
Lutz's extra point is good.
Saints 21, Falcons 10
Change of possession.
Williams is tackled at the Falcons' 13-yard line on the kickoff.
Allgeier runs for three yards on first down. Ridder's goes deep for London but the pass is incomplete. Defensive pass interference on the play gives Atlanta a first down at its 28-yard line.
Patterson gains five yards on the carry. Ridder drops back to pass and scrambles for five yards and a first down.
Patterson runs for two yards on first down. On second and seven, Ridder's pass is complete to London for 10 yards. That's the final play of the third quarter.
End of the quarter.
Fourth Quarter:
Ridder is sacked for a loss of five yards on a trick play. Ridder's pass intended for Patterson is incomplete. On third and 15, Ridder's pass to Pruit also falls incomplete.
Shaheed calls for a fair catch at New Orleans' 11-yard line.
Change of possession.
Kamara runs for four yards. Kamara gets another carry on second down and loses two yards. On third and eight, Dalton gets sacked by Rashaan Evans for a nine-yard loss.
Williams fields the punt at New Orleans' 42-yard line and he returns it nine yards with 11:07 left in the game.
Change of possession.
Allgeier runs for seven yards on first down. He gets the ball again but only gains a yard. On third and two, Ridder keeps it on a read-option and gains two yards for a first down.
Patterson gets the carry and gets four yards. Ridder keeps it and gains two yards. On third and four, Allgeier gains four yards for a first down at the Saints' 12-yard line.
Patterson gets the carry and runs for seven yards. Patterson gets another carry and he runs it in from three yards out for a touchdown.
Atlanta goes for the two-point conversion, and Ridder gets sacked by Cameron Jordan, but a facemask gives them another chance. Allgeier bounces outside and scores on the two-point conversion with 7:07 left in the game.
Saints 21, Falcons 18
Change of possession.
New Orleans starts the drive at its 25-yard line.
Dalton's pass intended for Olave is broken up. Kamara runs for five yards on second down. On third and five, Dalton's pass to Juwan Johnson is incomplete.
Williams fields the punt at Atlanta's 17-yard line and he returns it to the 36-yard line with 6:06 left to play.
Change of possession.
Allgeier gains three yards on first down from Atlanta's 10-yard line. Ridder's pass intended for Williams is complete for five yards. On third and one, Allgeier gains a yard for a first down.
Ridder's pass to Pruitt is complete for 14 yards and another first down.
Allgeier gets the handoff and runs for 11 yards.
Ridder's pass on first down is incomplete. Patterson gets the carry and runs for five yards. On third and five, Ridder's pass intended for Pruitt is broken up.
Atlanta goes for it on fourth down. Ridder's pass is complete to London for a first down then Justin Evans forces a fumble and it lands in the arms of Bradley Roby.
Change of possession.
Kamara runs for four yards on the final play before the two-minute warning. Hill keeps it and runs for seven yards. to Atlanta's 49-yard line. Atlanta calls its first timeout with 1:55 left in the game.
Kamara gets the handoff and runs for 13 yards. Atlanta calls another timeout with 1:48 remaining.
Kamara gains five yards and the Falcons call their final timeout with 1:45 left in the game. Kamara runs for four yards on second down. Before third and one, the Saints take a timeout with 59 seconds left. On third and one, Hill is stopped short of a first down. New Orleans calls its second timeout with 12 seconds left to play.
Hill keeps it on fourth and one but gets stopped again short of the line to gain after bobbling the snap.
Change of possession.
Ridder completes the pass to London for six yards and he gets out of bounds with five seconds left. Ridder scrambles and gains 19 yards before getting pushed out of bounds after time expires.
Final: Saints 21, Falcons 18
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