Saints @ Falcons
Final Score: Falcons 24, Saints 15
Writer: Brennan Rampe (@phdinnfl on Twitter)
The Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints met for a pivotal NFC South showdown in Atlanta. Someone has to win this subpar division, and both teams dressed for success. Atlanta wore their alternate red helmet, and New Orleans wore their color rush uniform coupled with a black helmet. The Falcons outlasted their hated rival as Bijan Robinson was featured heavily and their defense kept the Saints out of the end zone. That unit actually got a score as Jessie Bates was responsible for Atlanta’s longest pick-six since 2008. It was a turnover-filled game on both sides, but the Falcons were able to prevail and improve to 5-6. New Orleans is also 5-6, but these teams look like they’re going in different directions. It’s a three-team race to win the division, as Carolina is the only team truly out of it at 1-10. Whoever ends up winning it will likely be one-and-done, but hopefully, the winner has a winning record this year.
Three Up
- Bijan Robinson – Rejoice, fantasy managers! He led Atlanta’s running backs in carries and rushing yards, and had a rushing and receiving touchdown.
- Jessie Bates III – This man deserves a game ball. He had a pick-six and forced a fumble. Those were both critical plays.
- Blake Grupe – New Orleans’s rookie kicker was responsible for all of the team’s points, so I felt like I had to include him here.
Three Down
- Derek Carr – Passed for over 300 yards, but it didn’t matter. Had a crucial mistake with the pick-six. No touchdown passes. In his defense, the wide receiver depth was already being tested before he threw a hospital ball to Olave on what should have been a touchdown. An injury to Rashid Shaheed left him with no one to throw to.
- Kyle Pitts – 2 receptions for 22 yards, that’s it. He hasn’t been a viable fantasy option all year long.
- Dennis Allen – New Orleans entered the season as the favorite to win the division. They’re 5-6, and clearly underperforming given the talent on the roster. He could be on the hot seat.
New Orleans Saints
Quarterback
Derek Carr: 24/38, 304 Yards, INT | 2 Carries, 7 Yards
I had the opportunity to analyze Derek Carr’s poor performance two weeks ago when he played the Vikings, and he didn’t look much better today. He had no touchdown passes, but the passing game was severely limited after Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed went down. Michael Thomas was already on IR so if those two miss time, Carr will continue to struggle. He only had one interception, but it was a game-changer. It was returned for a touchdown by Falcons safety Jessie Bates, and that change of momentum is a big reason why they lost. It has been a mediocre year for him so far, but I suppose that’s fitting because that’s what he is.
.@jlbiii3 took it to da House ‼️
? FOX | NFL+ pic.twitter.com/4PasQpPhXQ
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) November 26, 2023
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Missed Opportunities
- The pick-six was in the red zone, and it was brutal.
Running Back
Alvin Kamara: 15 Carries, 69 Yards | 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 50 Yards
It was an unspectacular performance from Alvin Kamara. He had some solid carries and had over 100 total yards, but most of his runs didn’t go very far. He didn’t score a touchdown, and he just hasn’t produced explosive plays like he has in the past. He’s still a danger to take it to the house whenever he touches the ball, though.
Jamaal Williams: 2 Carries, 6 Yards | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 4 Yards
The decision to give Jamaal Williams a three-year contract isn’t looking like a smart signing by general manager Mickey Loomis. I didn’t expect him to replicate his success in Detroit, but he hasn’t done anything in the past couple of weeks. He wasn’t even productive when Kamara was suspended for three games.
Taysom Hill: 7 Carries, 26 Yards | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 55 Yards | 1 Fumble (Lost)
The jack-of-all-trades made some plays as a runner and as a receiver, but Taysom Hill didn’t have any pass attempts. He caught a ball from Carr on a 2nd-and-20 that went for a first down, but that was unfortunately followed up by the pick-six a few plays later. He also had a red-zone fumble (his first in three years) which was another crucial mistake by the Saints. He continues to line up in a number of different positions, giving him a variety of ways to put up numbers on a weekly basis.
Missed Opportunities
- It looked like New Orleans was going to at least get a field goal before Hill gave the ball away.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Chris Olave: 9 Targets, 7 Receptions, 114 Yards
Chris Olave was basically all New Orleans had in the passing game. He got going early as he had a nice catch-and-run that resulted in a field goal on the opening drive. Ohio State’s all-time leader in receiving touchdowns went over 100 yards in the first half, but was unfortunately knocked out with a concussion on a severely underthrown pass in the third quarter. Hopefully, he will be OK, as this isn’t his first concussion.
Carr to Olave for 5O YARDS ?
?L FOX pic.twitter.com/TQE5FClMzp
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) November 26, 2023
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Rashid Shaheed: 5 Targets, 2 Receptions, 9 Yards
Rashid Shaheed was shown to be a deep threat earlier in the year, but his day was cut short with what appeared to be a hamstring injury. I hope that he and Olave will return to health, as New Orleans has absolutely no proven options in the wide receiver room without those two.
Keith Kirkwood: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 20 Yards
A.T. Perry: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 7 Yards, 1 Fumble (Recovered)
Lynn Bowden Jr.: 2 Carries, 40 Yards | 2 Targets
These other three wide receivers didn’t do much, but could become suitable waiver wire adds. Someone has to catch the ball if Olave and Shaheed miss time.
Juwan Johnson: 7 Targets, 4 Receptions, 45 Yards
Juwan Johnson was the only tight end to catch a pass for the Saints. It looks like he’ll be in line for a much bigger role if Olave and Shaheed are out for a while.
Atlanta Falcons
Quarterback
Desmond Ridder: 13/21, 168 Yards, TD, 2 INT | 7 Carries, 30 Yards
It was a typical stat line for Desmond Ridder, who played well enough to win. It was his first start since getting benched back in Week 8. He started off well, as he looked confident throwing the ball early on. He was effective with his legs, as he used them to convert first downs and escape sacks. His touchdown pass to Bijan Robinson was well-placed, but the interceptions (both to Tyrann Mathieu) were bad. One was in the red zone, which added to his issues of red zone turnovers this season. Luckily for Atlanta, neither of them proved to be costly. I still have doubts about Ridder being a franchise quarterback.
Notes
- Really sounds like Matt Ryan with his cadence under center, but that’s where the similarities end.
Missed Opportunities
- The first interception could’ve led to more points that could’ve made the margin of victory even bigger.
Running Back
Bijan Robinson: 16 Carries, 91 Yards, TD | 6 Targets, 3 Receptions, 32 Yards, TD
Bijan Robinson had one of the better games of his rookie career, as he had a rushing and receiving score. He led all of the Falcons’ running backs in carries and yards, so maybe Arthur Smith remembered that he was picked in the first round for a reason. He’s easily the best one that they have, so hopefully he’s used like Christian McCaffrey going forward for fantasy managers. The Falcons seem to have planned on managing his workload so he can remain fresh for a possible playoff push.
Watch it on repeat ?
? FOX | NFL+ pic.twitter.com/KNWRtrxHZG
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) November 26, 2023
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Tyler Allgeier: 10 Carries, 64 Yards
Tyler Allgeier is rock-solid change-of-pace-back. He’s better as a runner than receiver, and he received a lot of carries at the end of the game when Atlanta put the game away. He seems to get a lot of opportunities in this offense.
Cordarrelle Patterson: 8 Carries, 43 Yards
I certainly wasn’t expecting Cordarelle Patterson to get involved in the rushing attack, but he did. Everybody was able to exploit New Orleans’s bad run defense, as he had multiple physical runs, gaining yards after first contact. He has shown flashes as a receiver in the past, but he hasn’t done much of that this year. Atlanta could use more variety in the passing game, so maybe they should use him as a receiver more.
Keith Smith: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 6 Yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Drake London: 7 Targets, 5 Receptions, 91 Yards
Drake London is the WR1 on this offense, and he seems to be the only threatening pass-catcher that the Falcons have. He caught most of his targets, and he has a friendship with Desmond Ridder. That was clearly evident today, as they demonstrated good chemistry. No highlight-worthy plays, but had a solid day. He would be the only receiver on this team I would feel comfortable starting week in and week out.
Van Jefferson: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 13 Yards
The Falcons were able to acquire Van Jefferson from the Rams for a late-round draft pick, but he hasn’t done much of anything since being in Atlanta. Of course, going from Matthew Stafford to Desmond Ridder is a massive downgrade at quarterback. Perhaps that plays a part in his lack of production.
Scotty Miller: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 4 Yards
Scotty Miller excelled as a deep threat with the Buccaneers, but he doesn’t have many opportunities to do that here.
Kyle Pitts: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 22 Yards
Kyle Pitts was hyped up as a generational talent at the tight end position coming out of Florida. He had a solid rookie year, but he hasn’t produced significantly since. The Falcons are a run-first team that likes to get a lead and play good defense. This leaves the pass-catchers with limited opportunities. Despite being picked fourth overall in 2021, Arthur Smith’s scheme just doesn’t use him at all. Dallas Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland has more career touchdowns than him! I wouldn’t start Pitts in my lineup unless I had no other choice. It feels like he would excel somewhere else, but I don’t think he’ll be traded anytime soon. At least he was used more than Jonnu Smith.