Tag: Falcons

Saints’ playoff chances remain slim entering the bye week

The Saints have won back-to-back games and made ground in the NFC South title race, but their playoff probability still remains beneath 5%:

A path for the New Orleans Saints to the playoffs has come into clearer view but it hasn’t become more likely.

Next Gen Stats is used by NFL.com to project playoff probability. It gives current probability and what changes with a win or a loss this week. Because New Orleans is currently on their bye week, they have no opportunity to improve or lessen their 4% chance at making the playoffs.

Darren Rizzi has led the Saints in consecutive wins, and he’d likely punch his ticket as the team’s long-term head coach if he beats those odds.

Why is it in the single digits? The Atlanta Falcons have a 72% chance at making the playoffs. Seeing that neither team have a record good enough to be a wild card team, a percentage that high would suggest belief in Atlanta to win the division.

The Saints’ path to the playoffs is through the division. Despite making ground on Atlanta and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the analytics say completing the comeback isn’t likely.

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Sean Payton moved to Denver and still owns the NFC South

Sean Payton swept the NFC South, proving nothing’s changed but his address. Unfortunately, his dominance now includes the Saints:

The Atlanta Falcons were painfully reminded of something that has been true for nearly 20 years. Sean Payton has partial ownership in the Atlanta Falcons. Maybe they hoped things changed since Payton was no longer leading the New Orleans Saints.

However, when the Falcons visited the Denver Broncos, Payton showed the new emblem on the hat doesn’t lessen his dominance over the Falcons. Payton improved his record to 22-9 against the Falcons with a dominating 38-6 victory.

Atlanta wasn’t the only team to get this reminder. Payton swept the NFC South this year and showed them why they all felt relieved by his temporary retirement. This included Payton’s first career victory over the Saints.

The games haven’t been too close either. The Carolina Panthers kept it the closest, and they lost by 14 points. At the end of that game, Payton flat out said Carolina isn’t a good team. Maybe that was the jolt Carolina needed because they haven’t lost a game since those comments.

During his 16-year run with New Orleans, Payton had a winning record against every team in the division. As the coach of the Denver Broncos, he’s undefeated against his former division.

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Where do Falcons stand in NFC South after loss to Broncos?

Where do the Falcons sit in NFC South standings after Sunday’s loss to the Broncos?

The Atlanta Falcons are on a downward trajectory and fighting to keep their lead in the division after losing their second consecutive game in Week 11. The Denver Broncos demolished the Falcons in a 38-6 blowout on Sunday, dropping Atlanta to 6-5 on the season.

Sunday’s loss comes one week after the Falcons were defeated by the New Orleans Saints. Not long ago, it appeared Atlanta was poised to run away with the division, but back-to-back losses have kept the rest of the NFC South alive entering Week 12.

NFC South standings entering Week 12

Pos Team Record Divisional Record Games Back Next Opponent
1 Falcons 6-5 4-1 – Bye
2 Buccaneers 4-6 1-2 2 @ Giants
3 Saints 4-7 2-3 2 Bye
4 Panthers 3-7 1-2 3 vs Chiefs

When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers set to play the New York Giants next week, they will be expected to win and move within one game of Atlanta. However, the Falcons hold the tiebreaker due to sweeping the Buccaneers, giving them another big advantage down the stretch.

The New Orleans Saints defeated the Cleveland Browns to improve to 4-7. It was the Saints’ second straight win and puts them half a game behind Tampa Bay in the standings.

When the week concludes, Atlanta’s lead will be two or three games ahead of the next division opponent. This includes the added tiebreaker in effect. These are the benefits of getting the job done early against division opponents.

The Falcons will take on the Los Angeles Chargers after their bye in Week 12.

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Aggression will be a part of the Saints’ culture under Darren Rizzi

Darren Rizzi expressed belief in being aggressive prior to last week, and showed he practices what he preaches. Don’t expect that to change:

For the rest of the year, you can expect the New Orleans Saints to be aggressive with their decision making.

After losing the last seven games under Dennis Allen, Darren’s Rizzi won his first game against the Atlanta Falcons. When you change head coaches in the middle of the year, sometimes you get an interim coach bump. Was that all it was? The Saints will have to prove that through the rest of the season.

Beyond rejuvenated energy, the Saints displayed an aggressiveness that will continue. When he was first announced as the interim head coach, Rizzi criticized Allen’s decision to not go for it on a fourth down versus the Carolina Panthers. That told us all we needed to know.

The Saints went for it on 4th-and-2 on the first drive. This was a predetermined decision coming into the game by Rizzi. He’s practicing what he preaches and is aiming to be aggressive.

He may not go for every fourth down, but his message to Klint Kubiak and Joe Woods was “we’re going to be aggressive play callers.” You saw that on the fourth down throw to Alvin Kamara.

The two most apparent aggressive decisions didn’t work, but Rizzi still strongly supports the decision. This is who he will be and, therefore who the Saints will be for the remainder of the season.

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NFL Power Rankings roundup: Saints rise up after win over Falcons

The New Orleans Saints knocked out the Atlanta Falcons in a surprise win this week, causing them to rise up in the latest NFL power rankings:

The New Orleans Saints are finally back to the right side of the win column, snapping a seven-game losing streak with their 20-17 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

This marks the beginning of the Darren Rizzi era, clearly starting off on a high note after the departure of Dennis Allen. With this, the Saints have gone from being one of the lowliest, if not the lowliest ranked teams for major media outlets, to slightly higher in the rankings.

The jury is still out on whether this was a fluke for the Saints to have beaten one of the hottest teams in the nation, or if it truly is the start of something new.

Here’s a look at where the Saints stand in the rankings across national outlets in comparison to where they stood in the previous week:

High: 23 – Low: 29  – Average: 26.7

The Saints will have a chance to stay on the right side of the win column as they face the Cleveland Browns at the Caesars Superdome on Sunday, Nov. 17 at Noon CT/1 p.m. ET.

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Week 10 NFL takeaways: Saints got an ‘interim coach bump’ vs. Falcons

The Saints got the “interim coach bump” in Week 10, and that was the biggest takeaway from their win according to Bleacher Report:

Bleacher Report’s staff gives their biggest takeaway from each team every week. Their biggest takeaway for the New Orleans Saints is that the coaching change gave the team a spark. New Orleans fired Dennis Allen after nearly three seasons as head coach and replaced him with special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi.

There were many changes throughout the week that seemed like small moves, but when they’re all compiled together it begins to resemble a culture reset. There was an immediate and different aura around this team and it translated to the field on Sunday versus the Atlanta Falcons. There was more energy, and for the first time in a long time the Saints had game breaking plays.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling had two long receptions from Derek Carr. The deep shot was once the most deadly trait of the offense, but it’s been absent since Rashid Shaheed suffered a season-ending injury.

John Ridgeway blocked Younghoe Koo’s field goal before halftime. There were just plays you didn’t see happening before. Large changes, like interim coaches, are known for sparking change in their first game but continuing that momentum is the difficult part. Only time will tell if Rizzi can keep performances high.

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Darren Rizzi on late takeaway vs. Falcons: ‘Biggest play of the game’

Darren Rizzi called Tyrann Mathieu’s interception the biggest play of the game as it swung momentum in favor of the Saints late against the Falcons.

The Atlanta Falcons were down three points, but they had the New Orleans Saints on the ropes in the fourth quarter. It appeared the Saints were about to let another game slip through their grips, until Tyrann Mathieu intercepted Kirk Cousins on the Falcons’ second to last possession of the game.

In his post game press conference, Darren Rizzi said, “Honey Badger’s interception at the end of the game is maybe the biggest play of the game.”

It’s definitely on the short list and hard to find another play that felt like such a turn of events. That’s what makes the play special to Rizzi. The interception happened at a moment where “started to lose momentum a little bit.”

The interception didn’t put the game away, but it stonewalled the Falcons on their closest attempt to tying the game or taking the lead.

The Falcons were at the Saints’ 44-yard line when Cousins threw the interception. The drive prior Younghoe Koo missed his third field goal of the game. The Atlanta offense was figuring out how to move the football, while New Orleans had stagnated.

Mathieu’s interception stripped the way of points away from the rival, and they didn’t get close to scoring on their only other possession.

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Saints interim coach has one goal for the team’s home crowd

The Caesars Superdome hasn’t held the same magical homefield advantage as of late. Interim Saints head coach Darren Rizzi is on a mission to change that:

Darren Rizzi has a major goal as New Orleans Saints interim head coach that goes beyond wins and losses. He wants to restore a “domefield” advantage in New Orleans.

There was once a time where the Caesars Superdome was on the list of places opposing teams didn’t want to go. That magic had faded away. The Saints haven’t had a winning record at home since Drew Brees retired, going 2-5 at the Superdome in 2021 (not counting a “home” win in Jacksonville due to Hurricane Ida), 4-4 in 2022 (discounting their “home” loss in London), and 5-3 in 2023, with a 2-3 start to this season’s home slate. That’s a 13-15 home record altogether.

After knocking off the Atlanta Falcons, Rizzi declared, “We are going to get this dome back to where it used to be and that was just the start.” Part of restoring the aura has to do with winning games. The Saints hadn’t been doing that at home or on the road lately, so Rizzi was concerned if the fans were going to be bought in. He clearly underestimated how much the coaching change reinvigorated the fanbase.

That mistake won’t be made again. Rizzi complimented the home crowd by saying, “our fans were incredible today.” He credited the fans’ engagement for forcing the visiting Falcons into some errors, such as jumping offsides.

He knows this city wants a winner and the team wants to give them that just as badly. This is just one win, but that’s how every winning streak starts.

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Derek Carr gave Dennis Allen a shoutout after Week 10 win

Derek Carr gave Dennis Allen a shoutout after the Saints’ Week 10 win. Even if he isn’t the coach anymore, Carr credits Allen with a crucial role in their success:

The first person Derek Carr gave a shoutout to after defeating the Atlanta Falcons was former New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen, who had been relieved of his duties prior to the game.

It was definitely a comment that caught most off guard and likely irritated some, but it’s important to realize that Allen was his guy, just as he was Allen’s. To a degree, the loyalty is almost commendable and is certainly respectable.

Still, Dennis Allen exited the building on a seven game losing streak, and Darren Rizzi had just won his first game. Many didn’t want to hear “shoutout to DA because he helped us build this. Shoutout to DA because he helped pave the way for us.”

Carr made it clear he loves Allen, but he’s happy for Rizzi. It wasn’t a complete Allen love affair, just statement towards the beginning. There are some fans who didn’t want to hear it at all. It did feel a bit forced because no one asked about Allen. Carr’s loyalty is unwavering, however.

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Tyrann Mathieu on forcing turnovers: ‘You want to touch the football’

Tyrann Mathieu hadn’t intercepted a pass since Week 3, and he was itching to touch the football. The New Orleans Saints safety delivered:

“Every now and then you itch to make more than just tackles. You want to touch the football.” You’d be unsurprised to know it was New Orleans Saints team captain Tyrann Mathieu who made that statement.

The safety made his name as a playmaker and is one of those defenders who’s really an offensive guy at heart.

Mathieu was finally able to scratch that itch. Against the Atlanta Falcons, he came down with his first interception of the season since Week 3. It came at a pivotal time in the fourth quarter. He anticipated what was coming based on formation and Cousins’ tendencies. By the Falcon formation, Mathieu knew it wasn’t going to be anything deeper than a dig route. That also is one of the quarterback’s favorite routes.

“When we played those guys the first game, it was a lot of digs. Kirk Cousins is comfortable throwing that route when he needs a play,” Mathieu said.

With that in mind, Mathieu “sat at 15 (yards)“ and broke on the pass once he read it.

The Falcons needed a play, and they went for the dig. The Saints needed a play, and Tyrann Mathieu showed he still has a nose for the ball.

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