Falcons Crash Domecoming, Rout Saints 45-24 Behind Bijan Robinson
The Atlanta Falcons beat the New Orleans Saints 45-24 on Monday night, Oct. 5, turning a Superdome anniversary celebration into a rout at Caesars Superdome in Week 4. The Guardian
Three plays. Fifty-nine yards. Game on.
Falcons running back Bijan Robinson took it the distance on a 59-yard touchdown run three plays into the game, and he never slowed down. Robinson finished with 145 yards and two touchdowns in the win, according to the game log. ESPN
Atlanta kept scoring in chunks. New Orleans managed points on only one of five first-half series and trailed 24-7 at the break. The Saints opened the second half with a 27-yard field goal to cut it to 24-10, then Atlanta answered with a nine-play, 74-yard touchdown drive to push the lead to 31-10.
It only widened from there. Atlanta led 38-17 with 9:50 left in the fourth quarter and closed out a 45-point night. The Falcons did not punt after the first quarter and scored touchdowns on five of their last six full possessions. It was their highest point total since a 48-33 victory against Carolina in 2016.
New Orleans got yardage but not stops. Quarterback Tyler Shough threw for 286 yards in the loss, and wide receiver Chris Olave had eight catches for 116 yards. The loss dropped the Saints to 1-3 under second-year head coach Kellen Moore, in what was their first nationally televised nighttime home game in nearly two years.
The night was billed as Domecoming, marking 20 years since the Superdome reopened after damage from Hurricane Katrina. In that landmark game in 2006, New Orleans beat Atlanta 23-3, a night remembered for Steve Gleason blocking a punt on the Falcons' opening possession with Curtis Deloatch recovering it for a touchdown.
The anniversary brought the band back together. Singer Irma Thomas performed the national anthem, just as she did in 2006. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was in attendance, as he was 20 years ago. Before kickoff, Gleason was joined on the field by retired Saints Drew Brees, Scott Fujita, Scott Shanle, Deuce McAllister, Devery Henderson and Deloatch to lead the “Who dat!” chant. Earlier on game day, New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno gave Gleason a key to the city.
What makes this stand out is the contrast. The 2006 night was about a building and a city coming back. This one was about a run game that New Orleans could not solve, with Atlanta’s offensive line opening lanes and Robinson finishing them.
