Falcon Report

7 Blistering Takeaways from Atlanta Falcons Sweep of New Orleans Saints

It was an ugly win, but a win nonetheless, as the Atlanta Falcons beat the New Orleans Saints 19-17 to sweep the season series.
Scott Kennedy|
Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris finished the season with four straight wins after bring eliminated from the playoffs.
Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris finished the season with four straight wins after bring eliminated from the playoffs. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

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Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons slogged through an ugly game that looked exactly like a Week 18 matchup between two teams that were eliminated from the playoffs.

But a win is a win, and with the 19-17 victory over the Saints, the Falcons swept New Orleans for the first time in a decade and added some intrigue to Black Monday.

They set some records along the way and made just enough plays to beat a depleted Saints team.

A New Record

No matter what time frame you use, there's a good chance the Falcons are going to be last when it comes to sacks in the NFL. The pass rush has been routinely ignored by the franchise, and it shows.

That changed this offseason. The Falcons brought in Leonard Floyd to replace the retired Lorenzo Carter, and they used seven of their eight picks in the first four rounds of the last two drafts on defense, including a pair of first round edge rushers.

After replacing defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake's base-prevent scheme in 2024, Jeff Ulbrich came in and installed a blitz-heavy scheme, big on pressure.

While it was a high-risk, high-reward option, the Falcons got to the quarterback more times in 2025 than in any other season. They tied their franchise record of 55 sacks (set in 1997) in the first half, and broke it in the third quarter when rookie sensation James Pearce Jr. recorded his team-leading 9.5 sacks. He followed it up with his 10.5 on the very next play.

Redemption

Dee Alford had a rough 2024 and was re-signed to a non-guaranteed contract by the Falcons for 2025. He made the roster out of camp, but he backed up rookie Billy Bowman Jr.

Bowman battled injuries and only played six games, leaving Alford as the primary starter at nickel. He played much better this season as he was allowed to play closer to the line of scrimmage.

An excellent season was punctuated by a critical interception that sealed the win for the Falcons to sweep the Saints. Alford is a free agent and should get a significant raise this offseason as an excellent option as a fourth or fifth cornerback.

The Streak Continues

Many offensive coordinators like to script their first dozen plays, give or take, of a game in order to facilitate a fast start. After a three-and-out to open the game, the Falcons have failed to score a point on their opening drive in 12 consecutive games.

It would seem the more time Falcons' offensive coordinator Zac Robinson has to plan, the worse his team performs.

Special Teams Coming Up Big

It may have taken 18 weeks, but the Falcons' special teams contributed to points in a big way. Former Carolina Panthers defensive back Jammie Robinson knifed through the Saints' protection to block a punt. Robinson probably wasn't thinking of sending his former team to the playoffs with his big play, but they didn't mind.

The Saints were in a hole from a field position standpoint throughout the first quarter, thanks to good work from punter Bradley Pinion. Pinion has been one of the few bright spots on the Falcons' special teams since Week 1.

Pinion leads the NFL in punts downed inside the 20-yard line, and he was pinpoint accurate on Sunday.

Bijan Robinson's Special Season

Bijan Robinson set the franchise record last week for yards from Scrimmage with 2,255. He spent Sunday climbing up the all-time list.

With 43 yards, he finished the season with 2,298 and No. 12 for the most yards in a season in NFL history. He had 16 games to most of the others' 16, but he plays in an era where there are significantly fewer touches per game for a feature back.

General manager Terry Fontenot took a lot of heat for using a top-10 pick on a "non-premium" position, but frankly, No. 8 overall in 2023 looks like a bargain right now.

Class of 2025

If the draft Class of 2025 is general manager Terry Fontenot's swan song, at least he went out with a bang. James Pearce Jr. leads all rookies in sacks by a mile, and safety Xavier Watts has been sublime the last few weeks.

Pearce's 10.5 sacks are five more than teammate Jalon Walker, who is No. 2 in the NFL among rookies. No other rookie has more than five.

After two interceptions last week against the Rams, he had a fumble recovery in the first quarter against the Saints. Watts leads all rookies with five interceptions, with Cardinals' cornerback Denzel Burke having three. No one else has more than two.

Now Let's Get Down to Business

ESPN analytics writer Seth Walder has a bold prediction for every game, every week. This week, he said Drake London would have a touchdown out of the slot. Considering London has four catches in six weeks, it certainly qualified as a bold prediction.

London had a touchdown in the first quarter to make Walder's prediction come true. London looked significantly more comfortable this week, and now it's time to get down to business.

He is scheduled to play on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract. It will pay him $16.8 million in 2026. But Atlanta will make London a priority for a new contract in the next few weeks. Garrett Wilson's four-year $130 million contract with $90 million guaranteed will be a good starting point.

The Falcons signed Pro Bowl guard Chris Lindstrom to a massive extension in March of 2023 before his fifth-year option season. They'll likely try and do the same with London. If they get any indication that London doesn't want to stay in Atlanta, they'd be smart to try and move him before the draft.

There haven't been any signs that London wants to leave, but Atlanta can't afford to get past this year's draft with him entering the final year of his contract.

Answers Coming

The Atlanta Falcons set a franchise record for sacks and had a player break the franchise record for yards from scrimmage. Yet, this was a team that was eliminated from playoff contention around Thanksgiving in a division won by an 8-9 record.

Will a relatively strong finish be enough to save Raheem Morris, who was also on the sidelines in 2019 when the Falcons won four straight to save Dan Quinn's job?

Atlanta was outplayed in many facets of the game on Sunday against a depleted Saints team that also had no incentive to win other than professional pride.

Owner Arthur Blank has some decisions to make on Morris and Fontenot, and we should get some answers in the next 24 hours.

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Scott Kennedy
SCOTT KENNEDY

Scott is an Atlanta-based sports media professional with stints as Director of Scouting of Scout.com, VP of Content Production at Sports Illustrated, and Managing Editor at CBS Interactive / 247 Sports, among others.

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