Falcons Have a Major Advantage vs. Saints Entering Monday Night Football

The Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints both enter Monday Night Football with 1-2 records, but the two teams are coming into the matchup with different feelings about where their seasons are headed.

Atlanta is coming off its most impressive performance of the season, dominating the Green Bay Packers 35-14 on the road. The Saints, meanwhile, are coming off a 35-27 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.

That contrast should give the Falcons plenty of confidence heading into New Orleans.

The Falcons struggled during the first two weeks of the season. With Michael Penix Jr. not yet ready to return, Tua Tagovailoa was tabbed as the Week 1 starter. However, Tagovailoa suffered an oblique injury three days before the first game of the season and had to be replaced by third-string quarterback Cooper Rush.

Penix finally returned against Green Bay and completed 18 of 25 passes for 256 yards and a touchdown. His return helped unlock an Atlanta offense that finished with 498 total yards.

Bijan Robinson led the way with 194 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while Drake London exploded for 194 receiving yards on nine catches.

The Falcons showed they can win with their ground game, create explosive plays and put points on the board without forcing Penix to do everything himself.

New Orleans still presents plenty of challenges.

Chris Olave leads the Saints' receiving corps with 326 receiving yards through the first 3 weeks. Juwan Johnson has also been productive, while quarterback Tyler Shough threw four touchdown passes against the Raiders.

Atlanta will have to account for those weapons, particularly with the game being played inside the Superdome, which is known to be a hostile environment.

But the Falcons should enter Monday night believing they are capable of controlling the matchup.

The Falcons also have the benefit of extra rest after playing Thursday night, giving them additional time to recover from their road victory and prepare for New Orleans.

Still, Atlanta knows there is plenty to clean up despite the dominant performance.

"We got a long season to go," Penix said. "That game was far from perfect, and that's what we're striving for each and every day. So, obviously we're going to go back and look at the film, and find things that we can do better."

Most importantly, Atlanta finally saw what its offense can look like with Penix back at quarterback.

A 1-2 record means the Falcons have plenty of work to do, but last week's performance provided evidence that this team can play at a much higher level than its record suggests.

Now Atlanta has an opportunity to carry that confidence into Monday Night Football and turn last week's impressive performance into another strong showing against its biggest NFC South rival.

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