Saints-Falcons Staff Predictions: Will New Orleans Bounce Back on Monday Night?

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The New Orleans Saints will take on the Atlanta Falcons in another clash between the two longtime rivals on Monday Night Football in New Orleans.

New Orleans (1-2) is coming off a tough 35-27 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders in a game the Saints held a double-digit lead in the third quarter. Meanwhile, the Falcons are coming off a 35-14 upset win over the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football.

Here are the staff predictions.

Grant Chachere, Staff Writer: W, 35-31

Despite the Falcons having the best run defense in the NFL, allowing just 47.7 yards per game and zero rushing touchdowns, they have been extremely vulnerable through the air.

Atlanta ranks 29th in pass defense at 263 yards allowed per game, which creates an enticing matchup for Tyler Shough and a Saints offense averaging 281.3 passing yards per game, third best in the NFL.

That might be exactly how New Orleans has to win this game, especially considering the state of its backfield. The Saints’ rushing attack hasn’t been the strongest, rushing for 101.3 yards per game, tied for 16th in the league.

On top of that, Travis Etienne Jr. was placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury, leaving Alvin Kamara and Kendre Miller to carry the load against the NFL's best run defense. Starting left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. also remains sidelined after undergoing ankle surgery, making pass protection another concern.

The bigger reason I expect a shootout, however, is what's happening on the other side of the ball.

New Orleans will be without Kaden Elliss, Carl Granderson and Anfernee Jennings, while Pete Werner is questionable after missing all three practices with a shoulder injury. That leaves an already vulnerable Saints defense potentially without four significant pieces of its front seven against an Atlanta offense built around Bijan Robinson and one of the NFL's most productive rushing attacks.

Atlanta enters the game averaging 173 rushing yards per game, second in the NFL, while New Orleans ranks 27th against the run at 128.7 yards allowed per game. That's a bad matchup before even accounting for the Saints' injuries.

Moreover, Michael Penix made his first appearance in more than 10 months, and completed 18 of 25 passes for 256 yards, one touchdown and one interception in Atlanta's 35-14 victory. He averaged 10.2 yards per attempt, posted a 101.4 passer rating and wasn't sacked as the Falcons piled up 498 total yards.

So I don't expect New Orleans to shut Atlanta down. I expect the Saints to have to outscore them.

The Falcons should be able to move the football on a depleted New Orleans defense, but Atlanta's inability to consistently stop the pass gives Shough an opportunity to answer. If the Saints can protect him and avoid the turnovers that doomed them against Las Vegas, I like their chances of producing enough explosive plays through the air to survive.

Prediction: Saints 35, Falcons 31

Doug Joubert, Publisher: W, 32-24

Emotions were high in the Superdome last weekend when the Raiders visited New Orleans. None of it counted, as Las Vegas left the Crescent City the same way they arrived: undefeated.

Of course, the fourth quarter was the undoing for the Saints in their home opener. In Week 1, it was a slow start in Detroit that led to defeat. In Week 2, it was a win in Baltimore despite an even slower start than Week 1.

Though not the most hobbled of teams, the Saints still have 10 players on injured reserve, the latest of which is Travis Etienne Jr., plus two more on the Designated to Return IR.

The Falcons got back Michael Penix Jr. at quarterback after the debacle of QBs in the first two weeks of the season. He has never played against the Saints, after sitting behind Kirk Cousins in 2024 and tearing his ACL in 2025, missing the entire season. Running back Bijan Robinson is solid, but in the Superdome last season, Robinson ran 14 times for 70 yards and no touchdowns. He did even worse at home against the Saints, getting 15 carries for a measly 33 yards.

With that said, the question that keeps popping in my head is will the Saints learn from these mistakes they've made this season?

They learned from their slow starts in Games 1 and 2, turning that around against Las Vegas last weekend. Will they learn from that fourth-quarter letdown? Tyler Shough says they have. By the way, he said the same thing about the slow starts in the first two weeks of the season, and sure enough, he was right.

Who am I to doubt him?

Prediction: Saints 32, Atlanta 24

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