Falcons–Saints rivalry

Atlanta Falcons–New Orleans Saints

File:Atlanta Falcons white wordmark.png Atlanta Falcons New Orleans Saints
First meeting	November 20, 1967 New Orleans 27, Atlanta 24
Latest meeting	January 3, 2016 New Orleans 20, Atlanta 17
Next meeting	September 25,2016
Statistics
Meetings total	93 meetings
All-time series	Atlanta 48–45
Postseason results	Atlanta: 1–0 December 28, 1991, Wild Card, Atlanta 27–20
Largest victory	Atlanta: 62–7 (1973) New Orleans: 38–0 (1987)
Longest win streak	Atlanta: 10 (1995–1999) New Orleans: 6 (1986–1989)
Current win streak	New Orleans: 2 wins (2015–present)
Championship Success
Super Bowl Championships (1) New Orleans (1) – 2009 Atlanta (0) Super Bowl Appearances (2) Atlanta (1) – 1998 New Orleans (1) – 2009 Conference Championships (2) Atlanta (1) – 1998 New Orleans (1) – 2009 Division Championships (10) Atlanta (5) – 1980, 1998, 2004, 2010, 2012 New Orleans (5) – 1991, 2000, 2006, 2009, 2011 Wild Card Berths (12) (1970—present) Atlanta (7) – 1978, 1982, 1991, 1995, 2002, 2008, 2011 New Orleans (5) – 1987, 1990, 1992, 2010, 2013

The Falcons–Saints rivalry is a divisional rivalry in the NFC South of the National Football League. The series is by far the oldest and most established rivalry in the division. Born one year apart, the Saints and Falcons were the first two NFL franchises in the Deep South (Washington and Dallas being arguably southern but not in the "traditional" Deep South). They have shared some important players, such as kicker Morten Andersen (the leading scorer in both franchises' histories), Bobby Hebert (who quarterbacked for both teams in the 1990s), and Joe Horn (the Pro Bowl Saints receiver who left for the Falcons in 2007). They have also drawn coaches from the same families, and even shared a head coach: recent Falcons coach Jim L. Mora is the son of longtime Saints coach Jim E. Mora, and former Falcons and Saints coach Wade Phillips is the son of former Saints coach Bum Phillips.

The series was rarely noted by the national media during the teams' first decades of existence, probably due to both teams' long stretches of futility. However, the September 2006 match-up, which served as the Louisiana Superdome's official reopening after Hurricane Katrina, was heralded as a major milestone in New Orleans' and the Gulf Coast's recovery from the effects of the storm as well as the Saints' return to the city after their own year-long exile after the storm; the Saints later erected a statue outside the Superdome to commemorate their win in that game.

The late season match-ups in the 2010 and 2011 seasons held playoff implications for both teams. Games between the Falcons and Saints have riveted their respective regions for more than 40 years; fans of both teams consider the other their most important and hated opponent. ESPN.com writer Len Pasquarelli has cited the rivalry as one of the best in sports: "Every year, bus caravans loaded with rowdy (and usually very inebriated) fans make the seven-hour trip between the two cities. Unless you've attended a Falcons-Saints debauchery-filled afternoon, you'll just have to take my word for how much fun it really can be."

Atlanta currently leads the all-time series 49-45 (48-45 regular season, 1-0 playoffs). Each team has appeared in one Super Bowl, the Saints winning Super Bowl XLIV while the Falcons lost in Super Bowl XXXIII.

It began in 1967, the first year of play for the Saints, and press accounts from that game, including the Rome (Ga.) News-Tribune and Los Angeles Times, referred to it as the "Dixie Championship." In recent years, the game has sometimes been referred to as the "Southern Showdown." This has especially been the case leading up to the first of the two 2011 games, by WWL radio in New Orleans.

History

Notable games in the series

• The first time that the Saints made an appearance in the city of New Orleans was on September 9, 1967, in a pre-season game against Atlanta; the Saints won, 27–14. The two teams continued to play yearly in the pre-season until they became divisional opponents. A notable exception was on August 11, 1984, when the Saints took a 31–21 victory in New Orleans.
• The rivalry first truly began to heat up when the two teams became divisional opponents in 1970, allowing them to play twice per season. Despite being located east of the Mississippi River, both relatively new expansion teams were placed in the National Football Conference's Western Division that year – a tough division that would often leave the two teams battling it out with each other just to stay out of last place. Atlanta's 62-7 victory at Tulane Stadium in 1973 remains the most lopsided loss in Saints history. (Coincidentally, the Saints were involved in the only other 62-7 final in an NFL regular season game, crushing the Indianapolis Colts at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on October 23, 2011.)
• A series of consecutive last-minute wins by Atlanta in 1978. In 1978, with the Falcons down 17-13 in the Superdome and only :19 left on the clock, Falcons quarterback Steve Bartowski aired a Hail Mary (called in the playbook "Big Ben Right") down to the endzone; the ball was tipped by Falcons reveiver Wallace Francis into the hands of his teammate Alfred Jackson, giving the Falcons a 20-17 victory. The teams met again two weeks later in Atlanta. Once again, the Falcons trailed 17-13, with only :53 on the clock and on their own 28-yard line; Bartowski led the team down the field and scored with only five seconds left, stunning the Saints for the second time in 3 weeks and propelling the Falcons to their very first wild-card playoff berth: the Falcons finished 9-7, while the Saints finished 7-9.
• The only postseason meeting to date in the Falcons–Saints rivalry was played in the Wild Card playoff round on December 28, 1991, at the Superdome. The Saints entered the 1991 playoffs as the NFC West champions while the Falcons were a Wild Card team. Atlanta won the game on the road, 27-20, as Falcons quarterback Chris Miller threw the game-winning 61-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Michael Haynes with 2:41 left in the fourth quarter. To add insult to injury, Haynes was a New Orleans native
• In the midst of New Orleans' troubled 2005 season in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, they suffered a loss at San Antonio to the Falcons on October 16. The Saints raced to a 10-3 lead in the second quarter before a fumble was returned by DeAngelo Hall of the Falcons for a 66-yard touchdown and a tie game. On the final play of the second quarter, the Falcons blocked a field goal try and Demorrio Williams ran back a 59-yard touchdown. An exchange of six touchdowns ensued and Devery Henderson caught a 15-yard game-tying score, leaving the game 31-31 in the final minute of regulation. A penalty on the Saints helped the Falcons set up Todd Peterson's 36-yard field goal on the final play, ending a 34-31 Falcons win. Saints coach Jim Haslett was so angry over the late penalty that he repeatedly ripped the "chickenshit" calls by referee Bill Carollo and his crew.
• The Falcons were the opponent in the Saints' first game in the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina, held on September 25, 2006. The Saints won the nationally televised match 23–3; the game was the highest-rated program in the history of ESPN and the second-highest-rated cable program of all time. Early in the first quarter, Saints safety Steve Gleason blocked a punt by Falcons kicker Michael Koenen and Curtis Deloatch recovered the ball in the Falcons' end zone for a Saints touchdown. It was the first score in the Saints' first game in New Orleans in nearly 21 months, during which time Hurricane Katrina had devastated the city and the team. The Saints dominated the game and went on to have the most successful season in their history up to that time. In July 2012, "Rebirth", a statue depicting Gleason blocking the punt, was erected outside the Superdome; a news report commented that the blocked punt "etched Steve Gleason into Saints lore and became symbolic of New Orleans' resilience in the face of disaster".
• The Falcons hosted the Saints on November 26, 2006, at the Georgia Dome. Michael Vick rushed for 166 yards but threw for only 84 yards while Drew Brees of the Saints threw for 349 yards (a week after a 510-yard performance against the Cincinnati Bengals), including a 48-yard heave to Terrance Copper caught in heavy traffic in the Falcons end zone for a Saints touchdown. The Saints routed the Falcons 31–13, and after the game, Vick flashed an obscene gesture to booing Falcons fans.
• The Saints were on a quest for an undefeated season in 2009 when, on November 2, they hosted the Falcons on Monday Night Football. Atlanta led 14-7 after one quarter; New Orleans then erupted with 21 second-quarter points and held off a late Atlanta comeback effort when a Darren Sharper intercepted a Matt Ryan pass at the Saints 5, ending a 35-27 Saints win. The win raised New Orleans to a 13-0 record; the Saints then dropped their last 3 regular season games before sweeping through the playoffs on their way to winning the Super Bowl.
• In the 2010 season, both games had important implications for the playoff race. The Falcons won a week 3 matchup at the Superdome 27-24 in overtime (after Saints kicker Garrett Hartley made a last-second field goal to tie the game in regulation, but then missed another kick that would have won it in overtime). The win gave Atlanta an advantage in the standings which Falcons retained all season. In the Week 16 rematch, the teams met for the fifth time in six seasons on Monday Night Football, with the NFC South title still on the line; in a typically close game the Saints held on for a 17-14 win, clinching a playoff berth. (The Falcons won the following week to earn the top seed in the NFC; both teams then were then upset in their opening playoff games, New Orleans losing to the underdog Seattle Seahawks 41-36 in the wild-card round, while Atlanta was routed by the eventual Super Bowl XLV champion Green Bay Packers in the divisional round 48-21.)
• In the 2011 season, both teams met again for a Monday Night Football matchup. Like the previous season, playoff implications were at stake for both teams, however, in a near-inverse of the 2010 meeting, New Orleans, entered Week 16 with an 11-3 record with a playoff berth already clinched, were in better position to win the NFC South division title, and needed a win in one of their final two games or an Atlanta loss in one of their final two games to clinch the division title, while Atlanta, entering Week 16 with a 9-5 record, needed to win out as well as for New Orleans to lose against Carolina in Week 17 to repeat as NFC South champions. A major historical aspect of this game was Saint Drew Brees' pursuit of Dan Marino's single season record for passing yards, 5084, set in 1984. Entering the game with 4780 yards, Brees needed only 305 in his final two games to obtain the record. Atlanta received the opening kickoff and quickly jumped out to a 3-0 lead but the Saints immediately responded with an 84-yard touchdown drive sparked by Brees' 38-yard completion to Lance Moore on the drive's first play. Brees would end the first quarter with 66 yards. By halftime, Brees was within 75 yards of the record with 230 yards in the first half, thanks in large part to the 164 yards he notched in the second quarter, which lifted the Saints to a 21-10 lead. Despite only having 45 yards in the third quarter, Brees managed to help the Saints extend their lead to 31-13 and he entered the fourth quarter 30 yards shy of Marino's record. The fourth quarter was somewhat atypical of how the Saints had played during the first three quarters in that they punted for the first time in the game and were held to a three-and-out for the third straight possession dating back to the third quarter when they had to settle for a field goal after failing to get a first down following Darren Sproles' 92-yard kickoff return which set them up with excellent field position at the Atlanta 14-yard line. Continuing the breaking of trends was the Saints' defense, which came into the game having forced the fewest turnovers of any defense in the league. That improved when linebacker Scott Shanle stripped the football from Falcons' wide receiver Julio Jones at the Falcons' 35-yard line and Saints' free safety Malcolm Jenkins grabbed the ball bouncing off the turf in stride and ran 30 yards down the sideline for a touchdown, extending the lead to 38-16. With zero completions or yards through the Saints' first two fourth-quarter possessions, it appeared uncertain if Brees would be able to get the record in front of a national audience in prime time but after the Saints' defense succeeded in stopping the Falcons on fourth down for the second straight possession and having taken over at the Falcons' 32-yard line with Brees needing just 30 for the record, the stage was set for history. On the ensuing drive, Brees completed a 12-yard pass to Marques Colston and an 11-yarder to Devery Henderson, coming to within 7 yards of the record. After an incomplete pass on first and goal from the Falcons' 9-yard line, Brees connected with running back Darren Sproles at the 1-yard line by the left hash mark and he carried it into the end zone, completing the quest for the record with Brees at 5087 yards through 15 games and capping off the scoring for the game with the Saints winning 45–16 and clinching the NFC South division title, their third since Sean Payton became head coach in 2006 and fifth in franchise history. Brees ended the night completing 23 of his 39 passing attempts for 307 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions; it was also his 12th game of the season with at least 300 yards passing, an NFL record.
• In 2012, the Saints struggled through a down year after incurring heavy league penalties from their bounty scandal, but the Saints still managed to hand the Falcons their first loss of the season, 31–27 at the Superdome in week 10. Three weeks later, airport workers in Atlanta egged the Saints' charter bus when the Saints arrived in Atlanta for their game against the Falcons. Drew Brees threw 5 interceptions and his record of consecutive games with a touchdown pass was snapped as the Falcons controlled the rematch 23-13. (The Falcons went on to earn the top seed in the NFC for the second time in three years.)
• In 2013, the teams met in a highly promoted opening-week match-up. The Saints held off a last-second Atlanta drive to win 23–17, then went on to win their first five games while the Falcons, hampered by injuries, unexpectedly suffered through a loss-filled campaign. In the rematch, a Thursday night prime-time game, the Saints again held on to win another narrow victory, 17–13, marked by Brees moving past Warren Moon into fifth place on the all-time career passing list.

Individual game results

This is a list of results from all of the meetings between the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons from their first meeting in 1967 to the present.

Saints victory

Falcons victory

* Post-season meeting

Date	Site	Winning team		Losing team		Series
November 20, 1967	New Orleans	New Orleans	27	Atlanta	24	NO 1-0
December 7, 1969	Atlanta	Atlanta	45	New Orleans	17	Tied 1-1
September 20, 1970	New Orleans	Atlanta	14	New Orleans	3	ATL 2-1
October 25, 1970	Atlanta	Atlanta	32	New Orleans	14	ATL 3-1
October 24, 1971	Atlanta	Atlanta	28	New Orleans	6	ATL 4-1
December 19, 1971	New Orleans	Atlanta	24	New Orleans	20	ATL 5-1
October 15, 1972	New Orleans	Atlanta	21	New Orleans	14	ATL 6-1
November 12, 1972	Atlanta	Atlanta	36	New Orleans	20	ATL 7-1
September 16, 1973	New Orleans	Atlanta	62	New Orleans	7	ATL 8-1
December 16, 1973	Atlanta	Atlanta	14	New Orleans	10	ATL 9-1
September 29, 1974	New Orleans	New Orleans	14	Atlanta	13	ATL 9-2
October 20, 1974	Atlanta	New Orleans	13	Atlanta	3	ATL 9-3
October 5, 1975	Atlanta	Atlanta	14	New Orleans	7	ATL 10-3
November 2, 1975	New Orleans	New Orleans	23	Atlanta	7	ATL 10-4
October 10, 1976	New Orleans	New Orleans	30	Atlanta	0	ATL 10-5
October 31, 1976	Atlanta	Atlanta	23	New Orleans	20	ATL 11-5
November 20, 1977	New Orleans	New Orleans	21	Atlanta	20	ATL 11-6
December 18, 1977	Atlanta	Atlanta	35	New Orleans	7	ATL 12-6
November 12, 1978	Atlanta	Atlanta	20	New Orleans	17	ATL 13-6
November 26, 1978	New Orleans	Atlanta	20	New Orleans	17	ATL 14-6
September 2, 1979	New Orleans	Atlanta	40	New Orleans	34	ATL 15-6
November 25, 1979	Atlanta	New Orleans	37	Atlanta	6	ATL 15-7
October 19, 1980	New Orleans	Atlanta	41	New Orleans	14	ATL 16-7
November 16, 1980	Atlanta	Atlanta	31	New Orleans	13	ATL 17-7
September 6, 1981	Atlanta	Atlanta	27	New Orleans	0	ATL 18-7
November 1, 1981	New Orleans	Atlanta	41	New Orleans	10	ATL 19-7
December 12, 1982	Atlanta	Atlanta	35	New Orleans	0	ATL 20-7
January 2, 1983	New Orleans	New Orleans	35	Atlanta	6	ATL 20-8
October 9, 1983	Atlanta	New Orleans	19	Atlanta	17	ATL 20-9
November 6, 1983	New Orleans	New Orleans	27	Atlanta	10	ATL 20-10
September 2, 1984	New Orleans	Atlanta	36	New Orleans	28	ATL 21-10
November 11, 1984	Atlanta	New Orleans	17	Atlanta	13	ATL 21-11
October 20, 1985	Atlanta	Atlanta	31	New Orleans	24	ATL 22-11
December 22, 1985	New Orleans	Atlanta	16	New Orleans	10	ATL 23-11
September 7, 1986	New Orleans	Atlanta	31	New Orleans	10	ATL 24-11
December 14, 1986	Atlanta	New Orleans	14	Atlanta	9	ATL 24-12
November 1, 1987	Atlanta	New Orleans	38	Atlanta	0	ATL 24-13
September 11, 1988	Atlanta	New Orleans	29	Atlanta	21	ATL 24-14
December 18, 1988	New Orleans	New Orleans	10	Atlanta	9	ATL 24-15
October 29, 1989	New Orleans	New Orleans	20	Atlanta	13	ATL 24-16
November 19, 1989	Atlanta	New Orleans	26	Atlanta	17	ATL 24-17
October 7, 1990	Atlanta	Atlanta	28	New Orleans	27	ATL 25-17
November 25, 1990	New Orleans	New Orleans	10	Atlanta	7	ATL 25-18
September 29, 1991	Atlanta	New Orleans	27	Atlanta	6	ATL 25-19
November 24, 1991	New Orleans	Atlanta	23	New Orleans	20	ATL 26-19
December 28, 1991*	New Orleans	Atlanta	27	New Orleans	20	ATL 27-19
September 20, 1992	Atlanta	New Orleans	10	Atlanta	7	ATL 27-20
December 3, 1992	New Orleans	New Orleans	22	Atlanta	14	ATL 27-21
September 12, 1993	Atlanta	New Orleans	34	Atlanta	31	ATL 27-22
October 24, 1993	New Orleans	Atlanta	26	New Orleans	15	ATL 28-22
November 13, 1994	New Orleans	New Orleans	33	Atlanta	32	ATL 28-23
December 11, 1994	Atlanta	New Orleans	29	Atlanta	20	ATL 28-24
September 15, 1995	New Orleans	Atlanta	27	New Orleans	24	ATL 29-24
December 10, 1995	Atlanta	Atlanta	19	New Orleans	14	ATL 30-24
September 22, 1996	New Orleans	Atlanta	28	New Orleans	14	ATL 31-24
November 17, 1996	Atlanta	Atlanta	17	New Orleans	15	ATL 32-24
October 12, 1997	New Orleans	Atlanta	23	New Orleans	17	ATL 33-24
November 23, 1997	Atlanta	Atlanta	20	New Orleans	3	ATL 34-24
October 18, 1998	Atlanta	Atlanta	31	New Orleans	23	ATL 35-24
December 13, 1998	New Orleans	Atlanta	27	New Orleans	17	ATL 36-24
October 10, 1999	New Orleans	Atlanta	20	New Orleans	17	ATL 37-24
December 5, 1999	Atlanta	Atlanta	35	New Orleans	12	ATL 38-24
October 22, 2000	Atlanta	New Orleans	21	Atlanta	19	ATL 38-25
December 27, 2000	New Orleans	New Orleans	23	Atlanta	7	ATL 38-26
October 21, 2001	New Orleans	Atlanta	20	New Orleans	13	ATL 39-26
December 9, 2001	Atlanta	New Orleans	28	Atlanta	10	ATL 39-27
October 27, 2002	New Orleans	Atlanta	37	New Orleans	35	ATL 40-27
November 17, 2002	Atlanta	Atlanta	24	New Orleans	21	ATL 41-27
October 19, 2003	Atlanta	New Orleans	45	Atlanta	17	ATL 41-28
November 16, 2003	New Orleans	New Orleans	23	Atlanta	20	ATL 41-29
November 28, 2004	Atlanta	Atlanta	24	New Orleans	21	ATL 42-29
December 26, 2004	New Orleans	New Orleans	26	Atlanta	13	ATL 42-30
October 16, 2005	San Antonio	Atlanta	34	New Orleans	31	ATL 43-30
December 12, 2005	Atlanta	Atlanta	36	New Orleans	17	ATL 44-30
September 25, 2006	New Orleans	New Orleans	23	Atlanta	3	ATL 44-31
November 26, 2006	Atlanta	New Orleans	31	Atlanta	13	ATL 44-32
October 21, 2007	New Orleans	New Orleans	22	Atlanta	16	ATL 44-33
December 10, 2007	Atlanta	New Orleans	34	Atlanta	14	ATL 44-34
November 9, 2008	Atlanta	Atlanta	34	New Orleans	20	ATL 45-34
December 7, 2008	New Orleans	New Orleans	29	Atlanta	25	ATL 45-35
November 2, 2009	New Orleans	New Orleans	35	Atlanta	27	ATL 45-36
December 14, 2009	Atlanta	New Orleans	26	Atlanta	23	ATL 45-37
September 26, 2010	New Orleans	Atlanta	27	New Orleans	24	ATL 46-37
December 27, 2010	Atlanta	New Orleans	17	Atlanta	14	ATL 46-38
November 13, 2011	Atlanta	New Orleans	26	Atlanta	23	ATL 46-39
December 26, 2011	New Orleans	New Orleans	45	Atlanta	16	ATL 46-40
November 11, 2012	New Orleans	New Orleans	31	Atlanta	27	ATL 46-41
November 29, 2012	Atlanta	Atlanta	23	New Orleans	13	ATL 47-41
September 8, 2013	New Orleans	New Orleans	23	Atlanta	17	ATL 47-42
November 21, 2013	Atlanta	New Orleans	17	Atlanta	13	ATL 47-43
September 7, 2014	Atlanta	Atlanta	37	New Orleans	34	ATL 48-43
December 21, 2014	New Orleans	Atlanta	30	New Orleans	14	ATL 49-43
October 15, 2015	New Orleans	New Orleans	31	Atlanta	21	ATL 49-44
January 3, 2016	Atlanta	New Orleans	20	Atlanta	17	ATL 49-45

Pre-season games

The Saints hold a 3-1 edge in pre-season games against the Falcons, including a victory on September 9, 1967 when the Saints played in the city of New Orleans for the very first time. The home teams have always won the pre-season games in this series.

Year	Winner	Result	Location
1967	New Orleans Saints	27-14	New Orleans
1968	Atlanta Falcons	16-10	Atlanta
1969	New Orleans Saints	21-17	New Orleans
1984	New Orleans Saints	31-21	New Orleans

Overtime games

The Falcons hold a 5-2 lead in overtime games in this series.

Year	Winner	Result	Location
1979	Atlanta Falcons	40-34	New Orleans
1991	Atlanta Falcons	23-20	New Orleans
1995	Atlanta Falcons	27-24	New Orleans
2003	New Orleans Saints	23-20	New Orleans
2010	Atlanta Falcons	27-24	New Orleans
2011	New Orleans Saints	26-23	Atlanta
2014	Atlanta Falcons	37-34	Atlanta

Monday Night Football

The Saints and Falcons have met six times on Monday Night Football, most recently in 2011. The series has been played three times in Atlanta and three times in New Orleans, and overall the Saints lead 5–1.

The 2006 matchup, the first game played in the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina, was the second highest rated cable television broadcast of all time, a mark that has since been surpassed. The 2010 matchup averaged 19.1 million viewers on ESPN, making it the most watched cable broadcast of 2010.

Year	Winner	Result	Location
2005	Atlanta Falcons	36-17	Atlanta
2006	New Orleans Saints	23-3	New Orleans
2007	New Orleans Saints	34-14	Atlanta
2009	New Orleans Saints	35-27	New Orleans
2010	New Orleans Saints	17-14	Atlanta
2011	New Orleans Saints	45-16	New Orleans

Thursday Night Football

Atlanta and New Orleans have played Thursday night games 4 times, with the Saints holding a 3-1 edge in those contests. Counting both Monday Night Football and Thursday Night Football, the New Orleans Saints have an 8-2 lead in regular season prime time games.

Year	Winner	Result	Location
1992	New Orleans Saints	22-14	New Orleans
2012	Atlanta Falcons	23-13	Atlanta
2013	New Orleans Saints	17-13	Atlanta
2015	New Orleans Saints	31-21	New Orleans