Saints Rivalry

Lore & Background

The national media rarely noted the series during the teams' first decades of existence, probably due to both teams' long stretches of futility. However, during the late 2000s and 2010s, both teams sustained success and routinely battled for the top spot in the NFC South. Despite both teams' lack of success for much of their histories, games between the two teams have riveted their respective regions for more than 50 years; fans of both teams consider the other their most important and hated opponent. ESPN.com writer Len Pasquarelli has cited the rivalry as one of the best in sports: "Every year, bus caravans loaded with rowdy (and usually very inebriated) fans make the seven-hour trip between the two cities. Unless you've attended a Falcons-Saints debauchery-filled afternoon, you'll just have to take my word for how much fun it really can be." Longtime starting quarterbacks Drew Brees of the Saints and Matt Ryan of the Falcons have faced one another 23 times when starting, a record for most matchups between two starting quarterbacks in the Super Bowl era. The September 25, 2006 match-up, which served as the Louisiana Superdome's official reopening after Hurricane Katrina, was considered a major milestone in New Orleans' and the Gulf Coast's recovery from the effects of the storm as well as the Saints' return to the city after their own year-long exile after the storm; the Saints later erected a statue outside the Superdome of Steve Gleason blocking Michael Koenen's punt to commemorate their win in that game. The Saints lead the series, 54–53 (including playoffs). The two teams have met once in the playoffs, with the Falcons winning the 1991 NFC Wild Card Game.

In Their Own Story

The air inside the stadium was thick with humidity and anticipation as the Falcons' offense lined up for a crucial fourth-quarter drive against the Saints. The crowd roared, a sea of red and black shaking the ground, while across the field, the gold and black of New Orleans stood ready to stop them. Every snap felt like a collision of histories, a physical manifestation of two cities demanding respect in the NFC South.

Reader's Guide

The rivalry first began to heat up when the two teams became division opponents in 1970, allowing them to play twice per season. Both teams were placed in the National Football Conference's West Division that year. Atlanta's 62–7 victory at Tulane Stadium in 1973 remains the largest loss in Saints history, with a 55-point margin of defeat. A pair of last-minute wins by Atlanta in 1978 with playoff implications helped to intensify the rivalry. With the Falcons down 17–13 in a late-season match-up at the Superdome and only 0:19 left, Falcons quarterback Steve Bartkowski aired a Hail Mary pass (called in the playbook "Big Ben Right") down to the end zone; the ball was tipped by Falcons receiver Wallace Francis into the hands of his teammate Alfred Jackson, giving the Falcons a 20–17 victory. The teams met again two weeks later in Atlanta. Once again, the Falcons trailed 17–13, with only 0:53 remaining and on their own 28-yard line; Bartkowski led the team down the field and scored with only five seconds left, stunning the Saints and propelling the Falcons to their very first playoff berth. The Falcons finished 9–7, while the Saints finished 7–9; the two last-second victories had decided the final 1978 playoffs slot. After a third straight wild win by Atlanta (this time in overtime) to open the 1979 season, the Saints had had enough and blew out the Falcons in the second of the two 1979 meetings, 37–6. The only postseason meeting was played in the wild-card round on December 28, 1991, in New Orleans. The Saints entered the 1991 playoffs as the NFC West champions while the Falcons were a wild card team. Atlanta won the game, 27–20, as Falcons quarterback Chris Miller threw the game-winning 61-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Michael Haynes with 2:41 left in the fourth quarter. In the midst of New Orleans' troubled 2005 season in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, they lost to the Falcons in a "home" game in San Antonio. The Saints raced to a 10–3 lead in the second quarter before a fumble was returned by DeAngelo Hall of the Falcons for a 66-yard touchdown to tie the game. On the final play of the second quarter, the Falcons blocked a field goal try and Demorrio Williams ran back a 59-yard touchdown. An exchange of six touchdowns ensued and Devery Henderson caught a 15-yard game-tying score, leaving the game 31–31 in the final minute of regulation. After a Saints

Did You Know?

• The Saints lead the series 54–53 (including playoffs).
• The only playoff meeting between the two teams was the 1991 NFC Wild Card Game, won by the Falcons 27–20.
• Atlanta's 62–7 victory in 1973 remains the largest loss in Saints history, with a 55-point margin of defeat.
• The September 25, 2006 game was the highest-rated regular-season NFL game on cable at the time.