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Catch Live Updates: Thrilling Saints vs. Falcons Week 4 Game!

Get important updates for the Saints game with scoring, highlights and analysis as it unfolds.

John Hendrix

Sep 22, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu (32) reacts after intercepting a pass by Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) during the first half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
Sep 22, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu (32) reacts after intercepting a pass by Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) during the first half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
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ATLANTA -- The Saints and Falcons meet for the first time this season, as Sunday will be an interesting test for both squads. New Orleans enters banged up and has questions to answer on the offensive side, while Atlanta looks to capitalize on that and rebound to pull even to .500 on the young season. Follow along with all the action as we keep you updated on the scoring, biggest plays and notes throughout the game for Week 4's matchup.

Pregame Notes

  • I'm very interested to see what the workload is like for Chris Olave and Alvin Kamara. Kamara shouldn't get 29 touches like he did a week ago, although he'll take them. The Falcons will test him early and we'll see how that rib injury really is.
  • Not playing Dallin Holker today is a relatively good sign for how the team feels about some of their other positions and ability to move the ball. Juwan Johnson and Foster Moreau could be used more for blocking, but I do think the Saints offense needs to get them more involved to move the ball today.
  • Demario Davis is in the building and he led the pre-game huddle for the team. He told a couple of us on Friday that he feels good, so hopefully they get him back for the Kansas City game. This is the first game he misses due to injury in his career.
  • Former Saints Malcolm Jenkins and Ben Watson are both in attendance today.
  • Kyle Hergel got some center reps as a backup during walkthroughs. I think that's a little interesting as the Saints try to navigate life without Erik McCoy.
  • Saints OL in walkthroughs (left to right): Taliese Fuaga, Lucas Patrick, Shane Lemieux, Landon Young and Trevor Penning. Pointed this out the other day that this is what they'd roll with.
  • With the line the way it is, that could mean a lot more running to the left side. I do think the right side with Young and Penning could also be successful, but the pass protection is what we're concerned about.
  • Pete Werner was in the middle for the Saints for their base look in walkthroughs. Willie Gay Jr. and Anfernee Orji were the other two linebackers.
  • Taysom Hill, Cam Jordan and J.T. Gray were among those out for the coin toss. The Saints called tails and it was tails. New Orleans deferred to the second half kickoff.

First Quarter - Falcons 7, Saints 7

Scoring

  • Falcons, 11:13 - KhaDarel Hodge fumble recovery in end zone.
  • Saints, 6:39 (9-70, 4:34) - Taysom Hill 2-yard run.

Notes

  • Cedrick Wilson Jr. was playing on the kickoff team, so that might be an indication of how the ankle is right now.
  • Nice job by Alontae Taylor on the deep shot from Kirk Cousins. He wanted Drake London.
  • Liked the impact Willie Gay Jr. had on the first few plays.
  • Pass rush has to get home on 3rd-and-10. That could have been a nice stop, but instead the Falcons get across midfield.
  • Matthew Bergeron essentially grabbed Chase Young's face mask and threw his helmet off. That's a penalty every time.
  • I'm really not sure what Rashid Shaheed was thinking fielding that punt in the first place, and it cost the Saints a touchdown. That's a big momentum killer when you make a stop and you're on the road.
  • Saints went empty on the first play and immediately got it to Chris Olave for a gain of 18 going across the middle. That's a good indication that he's okay.
  • That's a really nice play by Taysom Hill on 3rd-and-1 when A.J. Terrell Jr. should have had him on the toss play. They also did it on the right side.
  • Very nice run by Alvin Kamara to pick up 13. He looks just fine early on.
  • Good wide receiver screen play on the right side that picked up 13 to get the Saints inside the 5. That'll help his confidence.
  • Saints sent Oli Udoh in late as the jumbo offensive lineman and had to burn a timeout, but they kept him in and Hill was the QB to find the end zone.
  • Willie Gay Jr. went to the locker room and is not in the game right now. D'Marco Jackson is in for him. Gay Jr. is questionable to return with a hand injury.
  • That's another good play by Alontae Taylor on Drake London.
  • Paulson Adebo got a pass interference penalty and ended up making up for it by getting a pick on Cousins. It looked like there was some contact with Ray-Ray McCloud as he was slipping, and it was an easy pick. Big break for New Orleans.
  • That's a great play design on 4th-and-1. I loved that call to Taysom Hill.

Highlights

Second Quarter - Falcons 17, Saints 14

Scoring

  • Saints, 13:42 (11-53, 6:01) - Taysom Hill 5-yard run.
  • Falcons, 9:57 (7-42, 3:45) - Younghoe Koo 53-yard field goal.
  • Falcons, 7:54 - Troy Andersen 47-yard interception return.

Notes

  • Great catch by Mason Tipton on the 3rd-and-5 play. That's a lot of trust for an undrafted rookie, but he's played much better than one.
  • Taysom Hill gets into the end zone for a second time, and that's someone I told you to insert into your lineup and bet on this week.
  • Following the big 24-yard hookup from Cousins to Darnell Mooney, that's a really nice hit by Paulson Adebo on Kyle Pitts. Drake London was called for offensive pass interference on the play too. I thought that was the case on one of the early plays too, but they didn't make that call.
  • Good stop on the 3rd-and-6 play that set up the Falcons offense for a 4th-and-1 that they stayed on the field for. The false start penalty on Ryan Neuzil made them go for the field goal.
  • There's your momentum shift again, with Troy Andersen getting a pick off the tipped Carr pass to take it into the end zone and retake the lead.
  • I don't like the 3rd-and-3 play call. That's just not it.
  • Taysom Hill came out of the injury tent for the Saints. He's going back to the locker room. This team just cannot catch a break.
  • I'm not sure where the pass rush is, but they aren't getting home and they aren't finishing. This is really hard seeing this at times.
  • Good challenge by Dennis Allen on the supposed Drake London catch.
  • Whether it leads to something or not, that's a big stop on the 3rd-and-6. Carl Granderson dropped into coverage and got the pass breakup. That's rare.
  • The Saints benefitted from a personal foul penalty courtesy of Matthew Judon. That was a bit unncessary to hit Lucas Patrick after the play was over, even if it was a soft tap.
  • Saints had an opportunity for one of those point swings but weren't able to cash in. The 3rd-and-3 Carr pass wasn't really close with pressure in his face.

Highlights

Third Quarter - Falcons 20, Saints 17

Scoring

  • Falcons, 6:46 (10-64, 3:59) - Younghoe Koo 44-yard field goal.
  • Saints, 1:03 (10-50, 5:43) - Blake Grupe 43-yard field goal.

Notes

  • Neither Taysom Hill or Willie Gay Jr. returned to the sideline with the rest of the players following halftime. It's highly unlikely we see either of them the rest of the way.
  • Tyrann Mathieu came out of the injury tent for the Saints to start the quarter, but he rejoined the sideline.
  • Willie Gay Jr. was ruled out, while Taysom Hill is questionable to return with an abdomen injury.
  • The big Juwan Johnson play was wiped out due to a Trevor Penning holding penalty. That's always tough.
  • Predictably, when you have penalties that back you up, it's hard to come up with plays for 3rd-and-long. Very disappointing start coming out of halftime.
  • Following the Matt Hayball punt, Isaiah Foskey went into the injury tent for the Saints.
  • Saints finally get some pressure on their first defensive play of the half, as Chase Young makes Cousins throw it away.
  • Another big hookup to Darnell Mooney gets the Falcons out of the hole and Paulson Adebo had another pass interference penalty on the play.
  • Good pass breakup by Marshon Lattimore on the Cousins pass to Kyle Pitts. He hasn't been targeted a ton.
  • Just a bad effort on the 3rd-and-9 play that the Falcons were able to convert. You have to make a tackle. Alontae Taylor ends up going into the medical tent following the play.
  • Taysom Hill (abdomen) has been ruled out for the rest of the game.
  • Alontae Taylor came out of the medical tent and went back on the Saints sideline. He was evaluated for a concussion and was cleared to return.
  • That's a great play by Chase Young to shut down that 3rd-and-4 play. New Orleans gets a big stop, but should have got it earlier in the drive.
  • Very nice hookup from Carr to Shaheed. The Saints have something going on this drive as the quarter is winding down, and now they got to finish.
  • Just kidding on that, as they end up going backward on a rush attempt with Kamara and then Carr got sacked on the following play to set up a 3rd-and-17.
  • No Tyrann Mathieu in the game for the Saints defense. He just has a towel over his head on the sideline.

Fourth Quarter - Falcons 23, Saints 17

Scoring

  • Falcons, 10:09 (10-57, 5:54) - Younghoe Koo 42-yard field goal.

Notes

  • Falcons are now getting it done on the ground, same as the Eagles did last week in the final quarter.
  • That's a big holding call on Jake Matthews to wipe out a Bijan Robinson touchdown. He was called for holding Chase Young.
  • The Saints pass rush finally gets home, and it's from Payton Turner on the strip-sack. New Orleans gave up a decent bit of yards on the 3rd-and-31 play and the Falcons are back on top by 6 points.
  • Two really nice hookups from Carr to Shaheed and then to Olave on the 3rd-and-6 play.
  • Carr and Olave just missed on a touchdown hookup. It was a tough angle but he couldn't get the feet in.
  • Really solid run by Kamara up the middle for 14 yards to put the Saints in a goal-to-go situation. That was a beautiful run.

Highlights

Week 4 Saints-Falcons Coverage

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John Hendrix
JOHN HENDRIX

I officially started covering the New Orleans Saints & other NFL topics in 2011. My work has been featured on various outlets over the years. I worked closely with Skyhorse Publishing in Fall 2018 to update the book, Tales From the New Orleans Saints Sidelines, which filled in all Saints material from the 2013-2017 seasons. Prior to joining Saints News Network, I served as the Managing Editor of SB Nation's Canal Street Chronicles for 3.5 years, and before that with FanSided's Who Dat Dish as the Managing Editor for several years. I have also had experiences of being a freelance Saints reporter for The Sun Herald in Biloxi, MS and a contributing writer for WDSU, a local NBC TV station in New Orleans. I have appeared on a vast amount of TV and Radio shows, both nationally and locally. For tips, comments, or suggestions, please contact me at johnhendrix@saintsnews.net

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