New Orleans
Saints
1-14
28
FINAL
21
Atlanta
Falcons
9-6
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a thrilling Week 17 matchup, the New Orleans Saints secured a hard-fought 28-21 victory over the Atlanta Falcons, keeping their playoff hopes alive as the regular season comes to a close. With both teams vying for postseason positioning, this game was crucial for maintaining momentum heading into the playoffs.
New Orleans' offense was led by quarterback Tyler Shough, who threw for 237 yards and a touchdown, while Travis Etienne Jr. made his mark on the ground with 95 rushing yards. Jordyn Tyson was the standout receiver, racking up 118 yards and a touchdown, showcasing his ability to stretch the field and make big plays when it mattered most.
Defensively, the Saints made key stops that contributed to their win, with Kool-Aid McKinstry leading the charge with eight tackles. The turning point came in the fourth quarter when New Orleans' defense held strong, forcing a turnover on downs that allowed the offense to control the clock and secure the victory. Despite a valiant effort from the Falcons, including two touchdown passes from Michael Penix Jr., it was the Saints' defensive resilience that ultimately sealed the game.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyler Shough | QB | 31 | 21 | 68% | 237 | 2 | 2 | 85.0 |
| Michael Penix Jr | QB | 38 | 23 | 61% | 185 | 2 | 0 | 90.3 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travis Etienne Jr | HB | 16 | 95 | 5.9 | 28 | 0 | 21 | 0 |
| Bijan Robinson | HB | 14 | 82 | 5.9 | 18 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| Tyler Shough | QB | 3 | 47 | 15.7 | 40 | 1 | 46 | 0 |
| Brian Robinson Jr | HB | 8 | 33 | 4.1 | 11 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Kendre Miller | HB | 9 | 12 | 1.3 | 5 | 1 | 9 | 0 |
| Michael Penix Jr | QB | 2 | 10 | 5.0 | — | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Alvin Kamara | HB | 2 | 9 | 4.5 | — | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Zachariah Branch | WR | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | — | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Austin Hooper | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kyle Pitts Sr | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jordyn Tyson | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chris Olave | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jordyn Tyson | WR | 8 | 118 | 14.8 | 70 | 1 | 57 | 0 |
| Chris Olave | WR | 6 | 91 | 15.2 | 4 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| Zachariah Branch | WR | 4 | 58 | 14.5 | 30 | 1 | 28 | 0 |
| Drake London | WR | 4 | 40 | 10.0 | 12 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Kyle Pitts Sr | TE | 5 | 31 | 6.2 | 11 | 1 | 17 | 1 |
| Austin Hooper | TE | 3 | 28 | 9.3 | 12 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Oscar Delp | TE | 4 | 27 | 6.8 | — | 1 | 9 | 1 |
| Olamide Zaccheaus | WR | 4 | 25 | 6.3 | 5 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Noah Fant | TE | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | — | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Bijan Robinson | HB | 2 | 2 | 1.0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Brian Robinson Jr | HB | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | — | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Bryce Lance | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Travis Etienne Jr | HB | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kendre Miller | HB | 1 | -2 | -2.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christian Harris | WILL | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Zach Harrison | DT | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Danny Stutsman | MIKE | 8 | 0.5 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Jessie Bates III | FS | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Kool-Aid McKinstry | CB | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Avieon Terrell | CB | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Christen Miller | DT | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| A.J. Terrell Jr | CB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Divine Deablo | MIKE | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jonas Sanker | SS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kaden Elliss | WILL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Chase Young | LEDG | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brandon Dorlus | DT | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jalon Walker | LEDG | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Justin Reid | FS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Greg Newsome II | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Clark Phillips III | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cameron Jordan | REDG | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lorenzo Styles Jr. | SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Carl Granderson | REDG | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Julian Blackmon | SS | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Xavier Watts | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Channing Tindall | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DeMarcco Hellams | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Folk | K | 2 | 2 | 1 | 44 |
| Charlie Smyth | K | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 |

