Saints and Falcons both looking to bounce back from a Week 3 home loss
The Saints and Falcons both lost at home in Week 3 to each of the SB LVII teams
- Saints lost 15-12 to Philadelphia and Falcons lost 22-17 to Kansas City
The Saints have missed the playoffs in each of their last two seasons when starting 2-1
- Last playoff appearance when starting 2-1 was in 2019 (Finished 13-3)
- 2019 Saints lost to Kirk Cousins and the Vikings in the 2019 Wild Card Round
The Falcons have missed the playoffs in each of the last six seasons they have started 1-2 or worse (last such playoff app was in 2011 – started 1-2, finished 10-6, L in Wild Card Round)
Week 4 will be the 110th regular season meeting between the Saints and Falcons all-time
- Saints lead the all-time series 55-54 (New Orleans has won nine of last 12 games)
The Saints are 9-3 vs the Falcons since 2018 (Saints are 5-1 in Atlanta)
- Only Falcons home win vs. the Saints since 2018 was Week 12, 2023 (24-15 win)
- Each of the last 15 meetings in Atlanta have been decided by 10 or fewer points
| Saints vs Falcons in Atlanta since 2018 | Saints | Falcons |
| Wins | 5 | 1 |
| PPG | 27 | 23.5 |
| Total YPG | 405.8 | 359.3 |
| Giveaways | 4 | 11 |
Saints defeated the Falcons 48-17 in their last meeting (Week 18, 2023)
- The Saints 48 points scored was the most they have scored vs Atlanta all-time
The Saints are 14-4 in road divisional games since 2018 (second-best in NFL)
- Only team with a better record in road divisional matchups is the Chiefs (17-1)
| Best Records in Road Divisional Games since 2018 | W-L | Win Pct |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 17-1 | .944 |
| New Orleans Saints | 14-4 | .778 |
| Houston Texans | 14-5 | .737 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 12-7 | .632 |
| Buffalo Bills | 12-7 | .632 |
The Saints are 5-5 on the road since 2023 (New Orleans defeated Dallas 44-19 in Week 2)
- Saints have scored over 14 more PPG in road wins (31.8) than losses (17.2)
| Saints Offense in Wins & Losses Road Games since 2023 | 5 Wins | 5 Losses |
| PPG | 31.8 | 17.2 |
| Total YPG | 379.6 | 349 |
| Rush YPG | 145.8 | 82.8 |
| 3rd Down Pct | 44.9 | 36.8 |
| Red Zone TD Pct | 65 | 30.8 |
The Saints have not won consecutive road games within a season since 2022
- Defeated the Browns and Eagles on the road in Weeks 16-17, 2022
The Falcons are 0-2 at home in 2024 and have lost five of their last seven home games
- Falcons started 3-0 at home in 2023 (lost three of their final five home games)
- Falcons have never made the playoffs when losing each of their first three home games
Will Derek Carr and the Saints offense get back on track in Atlanta?
Saints scored their fewest points in a game in Week 3 vs Philadelphia since Week 4, 2023 vs TB (9)
| Saints Offense 2024 Season | > Weeks 1-2 | Week 3 vs PHI |
| PPG | 45.5 | 12 |
| Total YPG | 405.5 | 219 |
| Rush YPG | 185 | 89 |
| Red Zone Pct | 88.9 | 33.3 |
| 1st Downs/Game | 23 | 12 |
| > All Top 5 in the NFL in Weeks 1-2 | ||
Saints were the first team to score 40+ points in their first two games of the season and then score 20 or fewer points in the third game since the 2001 Colts
- Fifth team to do it since the 1970 merger (also 1971 DAL, 1972 NYJ & 1975 WAS)
- Only team to make the playoffs was the 1971 Cowboys (won Super Bowl VI)
Derek Carr was held to 142 pass yds, one TD, one INT and a 69.1 passer rating in Week 3 vs Philadelphia
- Carr's worst passer rating in a game since Week 4, 2023 vs TB (68.2 passer rtg)
| Derek Carr 2024 Season | Weeks 1-2 | Week 3 vs PHI |
| Comp Pct | 76.9 | 56 |
| Pass Yds/Att | > 11.4 | 5.7 |
| Pass TD-INT | 5-1 | 1-1 |
| Passer Rating | > 142.4 | 69.1 |
| > Led NFL in Weeks 1-2 | ||
Carr is top three in pass yds/att (9.1; first) & passer rating (115.7; third) in 2024
- Only Buffalo's Josh Allen (133.7) and Minnesota's Sam Darnold (117.3) have a better passer rating
- Second-best passer rating in the first three games of a season in his career (116.4 in 2020)
The Falcons defense has allowed 176.3 pass YPG (11th in NFL)
- Carr is the only QB to have 300+ pass yds vs Atlanta since 2023 (304 yds in Week 12)
Carr has a 105+ passer rating in each of his last three road starts (Week 16, 2023 – Week 2)
- Longest active streak in NFL and t-longest streak in NFL since 2023 (Brock Purdy)
- Carr is top three in comp pct, pass yds/att and passer rating in road games since 2023 (Among 22 QBs with 7+ road starts)
| Derek Carr on Road with Saints since 2023 | > Rank | |
| Comp Pct | 67.1 | 3rd |
| Pass Yds/Att | 7.8 | 3rd |
| Passer Rating | 98 | 3rd |
| > Rank among 22 QBs with 7+ road starts since 2023 | ||
- Carr had a career-high 145.5 passer rating in his last game vs Atlanta (Week 18, 2023)
- Carr in Wk 18, 2023: 22-28, 264 yds, four TD, 0 INT (fourth career game w/ 4 TD & 0 INT)
Carr has been sacked once in each of the first three games (three sacks is t-second fewest in 2024)
- Carr has been sacked two or fewer times in 17 straight starts
- Longest streak in NFL since Ben Roethlisberger had a 20-game streak from 2018-2021
The Falcons defense has three sacks in the first three games (second-fewest in NFL)
- Only Matt Judon (1.5 sacks) and Grady Jarrett (1.5) have a sack for Atlanta in 2024
Can the Saints defense force Kirk Cousins into poor decisions under pressure?
Kirk Cousins had 230 yards, one TD and one INT in the Falcons Week 3 loss to the Chiefs
- Cousins: 7-2 after a loss since 2022 (T-fifth-best record among QBs with five+ starts)
Cousins tied Dan Marino for the fourth-fastest player to reach 40,000 pass yds (153 games)
| Fewest Games to Reach 40,000 Pass Yards NFL History | |
| DET Matthew Stafford | 147 |
| ATL Matt Ryan | 151 |
| NO Drew Brees | 152 |
| ATL Kirk Cousins | 153 |
| HOF Dan Marino | 153 |
All three of Cousins' INT in 2024 has come when he faced pressure, per NGS (T-most in NFL)
- Cousins, Will Levis, Anthony Richardson and Bo Nix all have three interceptions vs. pressure
- NGS: Cousins has 4 TD, 0 INT and a 116.1 passer rating when facing no pressure
- The Saints defense has 41 QB pressures in 2024 (T-eighth-most in NFL)
| Kirk Cousins Pressure vs No Pressure 2024 Season | vs Pressure | vs No Pressure |
| Comp Pct | 58.6% | 70.9% |
| Pass TD-INT | > 0-3 | 4-0 |
| Passer Rating | 43.1 | 116.1 |
| > T-worst among qualified QBs | ||
Only one of the Saints' five interceptions in 2024 has come when they pressured the QB (NGS)
- Four interceptions with no pressure is T-2nd-most in NFL w/MIN (GB leads with 5)
Cousins is 3-3 in his career vs the Saints (including playoffs)
- Cousins averages 301.8 pass YPG, 14 pass TD, 2 INT & 114.5 passer rating vs NO
- Most pass YPG and 2nd-highest passer rtg vs any opponent he has four+ starts against
Cousins is 2-0 in games against Derek Carr as a starting QB (1-0 w/ MIN & 1-0 w/ WAS)
- Week 3, 2017: 27-10 WAS win over OAK; Week 3, 2019: 34-14 MIN win over OAK
| Derek Carr vs Kirk Cousins Head-to-Head in Career | Carr | Cousins |
| Wins | 0 | 2 |
| Comp Pct | 70.80% | 78.40% |
| Pass Yds/Att | 5.5 | 10.6 |
| Pass TD-INT | 3-3 | 4-0 |
| Passer Rating | 80.3 | 136.8 |
The Saints are one of three teams to allow under 20 points in all three games in 2024 (PIT, MIN)
- Saints have allowed 14.7 PPG in 2204 (fifth in NFL)
The Saints defense is top five in INT (five; T-second) & opp passer rating (67.8; 3rd) in 2024
- However, the Saints defense has allowed 236.0 pass YPG in 2024 (25th in NFL)
- Saints defense hasn't allowed 225+ pass YPG in a season since 2019 (241.8)
- Tyrann Mathieu leads the Saints with two interceptions (T-second-most in NFL)
The Saints have three players with three+ sacks in 2204 (T-most with the Vikings)
- Alontae Taylor (3.5; leads all DBs), Bryan Bresee (3.0) and Carl Granderson (3.0)
- Granderson led the Saints with 8.5 sacks and 14 TFL in 2023
Which play-maker will have a bigger impact Sunday: Alvin Kamara or Bijan Robinson?
Alvin Kamara leads all players with 417 scrimmage yards in 2024 (285 rush and 132 rec yds)
- Kamara and Philadelphia's Saquon Barkley are the only players with 100+ scrimmage yds in each of the first three games in 2024
- Kamara has not had 100+ scrim yards in four straight games since Weeks 5-8, 2022
2024 is second time Kamara has 400+ scrim yds & five+ TD in the first three games (2020)
- Kamara joins Hall of Famer Jim Brown (1958 and 1963), Billy Sims (1980 and 1981) and Priest Holmes (2002 and 2003) as the only players to have multiple such seasons
Kamara is the first player since Christian McCaffrey in 2019 to have 275+ rush yds and 125+ rec yds in the first three games of a season
- Kamara: third time he has 400+ scrim yds in the first three games (2018 and 2020)
Kamara has had 20+ touches in all three games in 2024 (71 touches is T-second-most)
- The Saints gave Kamara 20+ touches in just two of his final eight games in 2023
Kamara has 100+ scrimmage yards in four of his last five games vs the Falcons
- Kamara has not scored a TD in his last four games vs ATL (last TD was Week 9, 2021)
Bijan Robinson has 196 rush yds, one rush TD, 11 rec and 89 rec yards in 2024
- Robinson: 59 touches are second-most in a single season three-game span in his career
- Robinson's 11 receptions is T-fifth-most among running backs in 2024
Robinson scored his first TD of the 2024 season in Week 3 vs KC
- First rush TD for Robinson since Week 14, 2023 vs Tampa Bay
Falcons are 7-7 when Robinson gets more than 15 touches in a game (1-5 with 15 or fewer)
Robinson had 120+ scrimmage yds and one+ TD in both games vs the Saints in 2023
- Week 12: 19 touches, 123 scrimmage yds, two TDs (only career two TD game)
- Week 18: 18 touches, 131 scrim yds, one TD, 103 receiving yds (only game w/ 100+ receiving yds)
Rashid Shaheed had zero receptions on five targets in Week 3 vs the Eagles
- First career game for Shaheed with zero receptions when getting three+ targets
- Saints are 0-4 when Shaheed has zero receptions in a game (1-6 with one or fewer receptions)
Shaheed is second in the NFL with 24.1 yards/rec in 2024 (min. five receptions)
- Only Indianapolis' Alec Pierce (25.0) has a higher yards/reception than Shaheed
Chris Olave leads the Saints with 12 receptions and 178 receiving yards in 2024 (one receiving TD)
- Ten of Olave's 12 receptions have been for first downs (T-eighth-most in NFL)
Olave has 80+ rec yards in each of his last two games after just 11 receiving yds in Week 1
- Olave has one game with 60+ receiving yards vs Atlanta in his career (114 yards Week 12, 2023)
Taysom Hill missed Week 3 vs Philadelphia with a chest injury (third game missed since 2022)
- The Saints have lost five of their last six games that Hill has missed
Drake London has a receiving TD in back-to-back games for the first time since Weeks 10-11, 2022
- London leads the Falcons with 14 receptions and two receiving TD in 2024 (136 receiving yards is second)
Darnell Mooney leads Atlanta with 169 receiving yards in 2024 (12 receptions and one receiving TD both second)
- Mooney: 65+ receiving yards in each of the last two games (had one such game in 2023 w/Chicago)
