Saints vs. Falcons: Who's New Orleans Biggest X-Factor Against Atlanta?

Here's a look at some Saints storylines heading into Week 1.

Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

The Atlanta Falcons are days away from facing off against their biggest rival, the New Orleans Saints.

To gain some more insight into this week's opponent, we spoke with Saints News Network contributor Brendan Boylan to talk about some Saints storylines heading into the game Sunday.

1. The Falcons and Saints ended last season in Atlanta and will pick things up where they left off Sunday. What's the biggest difference between this year and last year for New Orleans? 

Boylan: Simply put, health. It is easy to point towards some of the Saints key offseason additions (i.e Mathieu, Maye, Landry, Olave) but let’s not forget this is a New Orleans team that had injuries to nearly every position a year ago. Whether it was quarterback, wide receiver, defensive end or even kicker, the Black and Gold quite literally limped their way down the stretch to a winning record and a near playoff berth. Headed into 2022, health is currently back on the side of New Orleans and with a rejuvenated offense led by the returns of Jameis Winston and Michael Thomas, paired with the defense that retained most of it’s core DNA this could easily look like a completely different unit than the one that entered Mercedes-Benz Stadium back in January.  

2. If the Saints win Sunday, what will be the reason why? 

Boylan: Efficient offense and game management from Jameis Winston is the key to a Saints victory. Winston played only one drive in the preseason and was limited due to a foot injury throughout camp, which also limited his ability to build chemistry with his new offensive weapons. However, Winston looked strong in camp coming back from an ACL tear last October. Some in the national media are even calling him a dark horse MVP candidate. If the Saints win on Sunday it will be because Winston showed what he did in seven games last season, a total control of the offense.

3. If the Saints lose Sunday, what will be the reason why? 

Boylan: If the Saints were to drop their Week 1 opener, it would likely come from lack of or miscommunication on the back end of the defense. While adding Tyrann Mathieu has been a major talking point of the Saints off-season, many forget New Orleans replaced both starting safety spots, allowing Marcus Williams to walk in free agency and replacing him with former Jets standout Marcus Maye. Despite bringing in “shiny new toys” to the defense, there has not been a lot of time to get acquainted and learn a new playbook and language for Maye and Mathieu. This will more than likely lead to a few coverage breakdowns and could cause the Saints to lose a tight game or two to division rivals early in the schedule. 

4. Who is one X-Factor on offense and defense to watch for the Saints? 

Boylan: Offensively, I am looking no further than Michael Thomas. New Orleans had one of the worst wide receiving corps in the NFL a season ago and deeply missed the 2019 OPOY. And though Thomas may not return to top form from the opening kick, his presence should make all the difference to the Saints offensive strategy and open up space for himself and others to make plays. Defensively, I look towards Cameron Jordan who has always played well against Atlanta during his decade-plus in the league. While Jordan's favorite quarterback Matt Ryan is no longer with the Falcons the multi-time Pro Bowler will still have to set the tone for the Saints defense by affecting Mariota and not allowing him out of the pocket. It all starts and stops with #94 for the Saints defense. Simply put he is the acceleration pedal that makes the entire unit go and I expect a full tank of gas headed into Week 1. 

5. What's your prediction for the game?

Boylan: Saints vs. Falcons is always a tight matchup. One of the NFL’s most heated rivalries should entertain yet again to kickoff the 2022 NFL season. Though Atlanta is in a rebuilding state and New Orleans remains a team with aspirations to contend in the NFC, I do not see the Dirty Birds rolling over to their biggest rival. I’ll take the Saints in this matchup but in one that is tighter than most think. Saints 27, Falcons 20

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