Atlanta
Falcons
1-2
23
FINAL
26
New Orleans
Saints
1-2
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a tightly contested matchup, the New Orleans Saints narrowly defeated the Atlanta Falcons 26-23 in Week 4 of the 2026 season. Both teams entered the game looking to bolster their playoff positioning, but it was the Saints who emerged victorious in the end, securing a crucial divisional win.
Saints quarterback Tyler Shough led the charge with 235 passing yards, spreading the ball effectively to keep the Falcons' defense on their toes. On the other side of the ball, Michael Penix Jr. threw for a touchdown, while Bijan Robinson showcased his talent with a dominant 136 rushing yards for Atlanta. Meanwhile, Jordyn Tyson was a standout in the receiving game for New Orleans, racking up 96 yards to help propel the offense.
Defensively, the Saints made their mark with Chase Young's two sacks, which proved pivotal in disrupting the Falcons' rhythm. Divine Deablo of Atlanta registered a game-high seven total tackles, but it was the Saints' ability to apply pressure that forced key turnovers and stymied Atlanta's late-game drives. The turning point came late in the fourth quarter, where a crucial sack by Young shifted momentum and ultimately allowed New Orleans to hold onto their slim lead for the win.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyler Shough | QB | 37 | 23 | 62% | 235 | 0 | 1 | 69.0 |
| Michael Penix Jr | QB | 23 | 13 | 57% | 135 | 1 | 0 | 88.1 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bijan Robinson | HB | 20 | 136 | 6.8 | 42 | 0 | 31 | 0 |
| Travis Etienne Jr | HB | 15 | 119 | 7.9 | 60 | 1 | 33 | 1 |
| Kendre Miller | HB | 7 | 38 | 5.4 | 30 | 1 | 23 | 0 |
| Tyler Shough | QB | 3 | 37 | 12.3 | 26 | 0 | 33 | 0 |
| Michael Penix Jr | QB | 2 | 9 | 4.5 | — | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Zachariah Branch | WR | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | — | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Bryce Lance | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Noah Fant | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Juwan Johnson | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jordyn Tyson | WR | 8 | 96 | 12.0 | 22 | 0 | 21 | 0 |
| Chris Olave | WR | 3 | 42 | 14.0 | 13 | 0 | 19 | 1 |
| Drake London | WR | 3 | 42 | 14.0 | 6 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| Juwan Johnson | TE | 6 | 41 | 6.8 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 1 |
| Kyle Pitts Sr | TE | 3 | 37 | 12.3 | 3 | 1 | 18 | 0 |
| Zachariah Branch | WR | 3 | 23 | 7.7 | 4 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Jahan Dotson | WR | 2 | 19 | 9.5 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Oscar Delp | TE | 1 | 18 | 18.0 | — | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Bryce Lance | WR | 2 | 15 | 7.5 | 4 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Barion Brown | WR | 1 | 11 | 11.0 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Olamide Zaccheaus | WR | 1 | 10 | 10.0 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Travis Etienne Jr | HB | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Noah Fant | TE | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divine Deablo | MIKE | 7 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jonas Sanker | SS | 6 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| James Pearce Jr | REDG | 4 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| A.J. Terrell Jr | CB | 6 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kaden Elliss | WILL | 5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Martin Emerson Jr | CB | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Xavier Watts | SS | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kool-Aid McKinstry | CB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chase Young | LEDG | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jessie Bates III | FS | 4 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jalon Walker | LEDG | 4 | 0.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Tyler Owens | SS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Avieon Terrell | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lorenzo Styles Jr. | SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bryan Bresee | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brandon Dorlus | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DJ James | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Maason Smith | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlie Smyth | K | 4 | 4 | 2 | 52 |
| Nick Folk | K | 3 | 3 | 2 | 45 |

