South Atlanta News

The Falcons will face the New Orleans Saints for the 110th time on Sunday, continuing a rivalry that began in 1967.

This particular Saints squad has drawn attention for their offensive performance at the start of the 2024 season. Despite a 12-point outing in its Week 3 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, New Orleans' offense is No. 2 in total points scored this season with 103. Only the Buffalo Bills, who have 113 points, have scored more, while no other team in the NFL has more than 85 points through three games.

Atlanta's defense is off to a good start as well. The Falcons have allowed an average of 20.3 points per game, which ties them for 13th place through three weeks. However, they have spent more time on defense than any other team besides the Indianapolis Colts.

"I think the first thing is stopping the run down — first down," Falcons safety Jessie Bates III said. "We've been in a lot of third-and-short type of downs... I just think that's a huge part of our game plan."

Making a team with New Orleans' offensive versatility one-dimensional will be challenging.

The Saints present a tricky problem for opposing defenses to figure out. They rank second in third-down conversions with nearly a 53% success rate and are third in red-zone success rate and tenth in ball possession. They are also the only team with three touchdowns of more than 50 yards and seven touchdowns from at least ten yards out.

According to TruMedia, they are second with an average of 3.32 points scored per drive, and 77.3% of New Orleans' first downs result in either another first down or a touchdown.

A lot of New Orleans' efficiency can be attributed to some familiar faces like Alvin Kamara and Derek Carr.

"He's outstanding," Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said about Kamara. "We have drafted players just to cover him... He's been a focal point of what we've been doing for a long time."

Saints quarterback Derek Carr is also off to a solid start this season and is currently on pace to set career bests in several categories.

Wide receivers Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed are his primary partners on offense.

Olave leads the team's receiving efforts with twelve catches for 178 yards and one touchdown so far this season. Shaheed has seven receptions totaling 169 yards and ranks second among receivers with an average of 24.1 yards per catch.

"Those guys are real dudes," Bates said about Olave and Shaheed. "I think (Dolphins receiver) Tyreek (Hill) is No.1 with most explosive plays and then there's Shaheed right there."

In four games against Atlanta since joining the league, Olave has recorded sixteen catches for 264 yards and one touchdown.

Shaheed could become a significant challenge for defenses this year due to his ability to make big plays despite limited receptions so far this season.

An offense featuring dynamic weapons like Kamara and Olave along with Carr playing at a high level presents numerous challenges for opposing defenses.

"Any time that you're lined up on his side or even every time that he's in the game, you have to be alert," Bates said about Shaheed's potential impact on games.