With Desmond Ridder back - the QB for whom they designed all their schemes for leading up to this season - the Falcons’ offense can play free. In any case, the defenses probably weren’t the focus during their week off.
I covered the Saints’ defense against the run (hint: it’s not very good) in the spread write-up, and I love that for the Atlanta offense. New Orleans’ 3.6 yards per rush and 100 total rushing yards per game don’t make them a very intimidating opponent. Atlanta has mostly been good against the run (3.9 yards per rush - 11th), but that’s hardly an area of concern for them heading into this contest. They both own top-10 marks in opponent yards per pass to prove it. Both teams feature vaunted secondaries that readily limit enemy QBs. Although not considered in the “elite” crowd just yet, their defenses haven’t been the problem. For starters, the Falcons and Saints know they both need to improve their offenses. This is one of those situations where everyone and their brother will be looking for a low-scoring game, I don’t think that’s what we’ll see.
