Falcons Relished Chance To Silence Saints, 'Show The World' How Good They Can Be

Superdome (New Orleans) — True rivalry knows no exceptions.

This was to be a special night here, a prime-time celebration of the 20th anniversary of the New Orleans Saints' 2006 "Domecoming" and their first game back after a year away from home due to the devastating damage of Hurricane Katrina.

The Saints brought back the same national anthem singer they had in that first game back 20 years ago, and as she sang, when the video boards showed Drew Brees, the crowd cheered as loud as you can imagine in the middle of a live national anthem.

But this was also a Saints-Falcons game. On a day that was officially National Be Nice Day, Atlanta sought an opportunity to silence the home crowd, and Bijan Robinson made good on that on the game's third play, breaking loose for a 59-yard touchdown on the way to a 45-24 rout of the Saints.

"We've been talking about that ... the offense, we've got to do the best job we can to silence them early," Robinson said after the game. "To make that pin drop happen in the first quarter ... after that third play, it was pretty special. We went back to the sideline and said, 'That's what we talked about,' made sure we executed the right way so the crowd doesn't become an issue for us."

They didn't let up, and it was 24-7 by halftime, and a Saints team that has fought back from early deficits this season never got back in the game.

"That's the definition of starting fast," safety Jessie Bates told me. "Those guys came out and were the most physical team on the field. They set the tone for us, and it was easy for our defense to go out there and keep the momentum going for our team. We knew this was a rivalry game, knew what it was about. Obviously, it's heartfelt for what this means to them, but we've got to take care of business. 

"We want to show the world who we can be."

With quarterback injuries, the Falcons had opened the year 0-2, but with the healthy return of Michael Penix Jr., they have dominated in two straight night road games, first in a 35-14 win over the Packers last Thursday, then a more resounding win Monday night. By the end, it was the most points Atlanta had scored in more than a decade, and matched the second-most it had ever scored against the Saints in 114 meetings.

"Once you're in that position, you've got to, as we say, keep your foot on the neck," guard Matthew Bergeron told me.

Michael Penix Jr. has thrown for 479 yards in two games sine his return from injury. (Photo by Morgan Simmons/Getty Images)

The outcome was lopsided enough that Saints fans were leaving in droves as the fourth quarter started, so the ones still around when the game ended were mostly wearing Falcons red. When I asked Falcons wide receiver Drake London about the final score, he said he didn't mind at all. And when I asked London what comes to mind when he thinks of the Superdome, he recalled the 2023 season finale, when the Saints were up 41-17 and backup quarterback Jameis Winston opted not to take a knee, but hand off to Jamaal Williams for another touchdown with 1:10 left.

"I just didn't forget about Jameis Winston and how he was supposed to take a knee when we were here and they wanted to drive it in," London told me. "If we can run the score up, then why not?"

The Falcons catch a break not having to face Lamar Jackson as they host the Ravens on Sunday night, and a win there would keep them with the Carolina Panthers as the teams to beat. The Panthers have the head-to-head tiebreaker from their Week 2 rout, and the Falcons can't erase that until the two teams play again in Week 18. 

The Saints are only one game back in the NFC South race, but they play host to arguably the league's top defense in the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. Not only will the Saints have the challenge of trying to score on the elite unit, but their defense will have to keep Minnesota in check. New Orleans is giving up 32 points per game, the most in the NFL, so it won't be easy for the Saints to overcome that and avoid a 1-4 start.

A lot went wrong for New Orleans on Monday night, but few things will turn a loud home crowd against you like a less-than-bold call. The Saints were down 17 in the third quarter and had a fourth-and-3 at the Falcons' 8-yard line, but Saints coach Kellen Moore took the lesser option, choosing a field goal and a 24-10 deficit. The crowd booed, and the Saints defense immediately gave up a 74-yard touchdown drive, keeping the Saints at a safe distance the rest of the way.

"Long drive, we had a little bit of a missed opportunity on third down," Moore said after the game. "It got it to at least a 14-point game, get the points and then, if we could make a stop there, then we could go. We'd obviously have to be really aggressive the rest of the way out. I know it felt like getting some points there got us back to a two-score game. ... Unfortunately, they went back and scored."

The Saints have a top-five red zone offense this season and have been perfect in goal-to-go situations, and going for it was a chance to bring an electric crowd back into the game. Instead, it turned fans who were already disappointed into anger against their own team.

Learn His Name: Efton Chism

 

What was the best highlight-reel game-winning catch by a player you probably didn't know? That has to be Efton Chism, the second-year New England Patriots receiver who made a wild one-handed touchdown grab on a throw from Drake Maye to give his team the lead with 1:50 left in their win over the Buffalo Bills.

Aaron Best, his coach at Eastern Washington, has come to expect ridiculous catches like that from Chism, who caught 120 passes in 2024 for EWU before making the Patriots' roster as an undrafted rookie.

"It's crazy to think everybody gets to witness what we already knew," Best told me. "You almost assume and expect those higher-level catches. His highlight reel is different from everybody else's highlight reel."

Chism's hardly the first EWU alum to make a splash as an NFL receiver. Cooper Kupp and Kendrick Bourne have done that already, with Chism only furthering the Eagles' legacy. Best said that Chism is what they call an EKG, as in an "Eastern kind of guy," as 10 current players and coaches texted him about Chism's catch before he actually got to see it.

It might be the catch of the year in the NFL four weeks in, but Best said Chism has made impossible catches before, just not while playing for a returning Super Bowl team.

"We're playing at Southeastern Louisiana a couple years ago, the throw is high and damn near uncatchable for 99.9% of the wide receiver clientele," he said. "He elevates, gets undercut, one-handed catch, comes down with it and moves the sticks. We probably didn't even gasp. Probably said, 'That's Ef. What's the first-down call?' Anybody else, we'd be like 'Hell, yeah.' He still needs a standing ovation for those kinds of catches."

Bills defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson took a shot at Chism in postgame, saying he was an "elevated" practice squad player who made a play, but "probably won’t hear from him again. Respectfully. I say that with a lot of confidence." However, Chism has been on the Patriots' active roster all season long. Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel had his player's back, referencing that Gardner-Johnson has played for "eight teams in four years" in an interview with WEEI in Boston. 

With veteran receiver Mack Hollins dealing with a calf injury and A.J. Brown still on injured reserve, Chism should have a chance for more impact plays moving forward. And if you want to look ahead, the Patriots host the Bills and Gardner-Johnson on Dec. 6.

Chasing 2,000

 

The downside of a 17-game season is that the math is harder in projecting what a player is on pace for. We can't say "quarter pole" anymore, and be reminded that the quarter pole indicates a quarter is remaining.

But four games in, you can get a feel for whether any running backs or receivers have a shot at 2,000 yards. Kansas City Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker III is already at 537 yards, the best four-game total in 23 years, putting him on pace for an NFL-record 2,282 yards. Walker already has two runs of 60-plus yards, and Jonathan Taylor led the NFL with three of those in all of last season.

There's never been a 2,000-yard receiving season, though someone always seems to jump out to a promising start. Dallas Cowboys star CeeDee Lamb and Seattle Seahawks star Jaxson Smith-Njigba are on pace for 2,117 and 2,044 yards, respectively. But Los Angeles Rams star Puka Nacua had more yards after four games in 2025 and 2023 before trailing off in both seasons. It should be noted, though, that Nacua missed time last season following his hot four-game start.