Atlanta Falcons Pull Off Massive Upset Against Saints

In the biggest upset in the entire NFL season, the Atlanta Falcons took down the New Orleans Saints in New Orleans. In what has been a terrible season from the start, the Falcons finally had a good Sunday by scoring the upset win over their bitter NFC South rival.

The Atlanta Falcons won! In New Orleans! Against the Saints!!!

Yes, the Falcons win today brings the total to two after nine games which would bring their record to 2-7. Even with the win today, the Falcons will likely lose the majority of their games remaining, but today, none of that matters. The Falcons beat the Saints in New Orleans. Let’s bask in that upset for a little while.

It wasn’t just the win that was the impressive part, it was how the Falcons did it. The final score ended up being 26-9, meaning the Falcons never surrendered a touchdown to Drew Brees and the Saints offense. After having one of the worst statistical defenses in all of the NFL, the Falcons defense played inspired against the Saints. All credit is due to the players on defense, however, some credit is due to Jeff Ulbrich, who took over defensive playcalling from Dan Quinn this week. Just an all-around great performance from the Falcons defense.

One more shout-out to the defense for the sacks they put up. Coming into Sunday’s game, the Falcons defense had 7 sacks. The Falcons sacked Drew Brees six times on Sunday!! Grady Jarrett had 2.5, Vic Beasley had 1.5, and DeVondre Campbell and Adrian Clayborn each had one. It’s amazing how well the defense plays when they’re getting pressure on the QB.

On Sunday, the offensive philosophy for the Falcons was a lot more balanced than it has been in the first half of the season. Against the Saints, the Falcons threw the ball 35 times while running the ball 34 times. The Falcons were able to establish the run early on Sunday which led them to the win. It’s been hard for the Falcons to focus on the run when in such deep holes like they have been in so many games this season, however the Falcons ability to establish the run led them to their victory against the Saints.

The win today, in the grand scheme of it all, won’t amount to much for the Falcons. However, winning against the Saints is about as good as it could get at this point of the season. Fortunately, for the Falcons, their win on Sunday shouldn’t hurt their chances at a top-three draft pick this season. Like the Falcons, the Jets and Dolphins both won their second game of the season on Sunday. However, unlike the Jets and Dolphins, I expect the Falcons to ride this momentum to another win or two before the season closes out. For now, let’s enjoy the complete ass-kicking the Falcons laid on the Saints today! What a game.