Atlanta
Falcons
2-1
39
FINAL
18
New Orleans
Saints
1-2
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a commanding performance, the Atlanta Falcons topped the New Orleans Saints 39-18 in Week 4 of the 2026 season. This victory not only boosts the Falcons' momentum but also reinforces their standing in the crowded NFC South, showcasing their offensive prowess and defensive resilience.
Leading the charge for Atlanta was quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who threw for 338 yards and two touchdowns, effectively orchestrating the offense throughout the game. He connected with standout receiver Zachariah Branch, who racked up 134 receiving yards, making crucial plays that kept the Saints on their heels. Meanwhile, Travis Etienne Jr. led the Saints' ground attack with 59 rushing yards, but it wasn't enough to keep pace with the Falcons' explosive offense.
Defensively, the Falcons set the tone with a strong performance that included 1.5 sacks from James Pearce Jr. and an interception by Denzel Ward, both of which disrupted the Saints' rhythm. The turning point came early in the second half when Ward's interception led to a quick touchdown drive, allowing Atlanta to extend their lead and seize control of the game. With this victory, the Falcons demonstrated they are a team to watch as the season progresses.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Penix Jr | QB | 39 | 25 | 64% | 338 | 2 | 0 | 108.7 |
| Tyler Shough | QB | 44 | 22 | 50% | 213 | 1 | 1 | 62.0 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travis Etienne Jr | HB | 10 | 59 | 5.9 | 31 | 1 | 28 | 0 |
| Quinshon Judkins | HB | 9 | 55 | 6.1 | 29 | 2 | 23 | 0 |
| Ty Chandler | HB | 8 | 32 | 4.0 | 20 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| Alvin Kamara | HB | 4 | 14 | 3.5 | — | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Tyler Shough | QB | 3 | 13 | 4.3 | — | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Zachariah Branch | WR | 3 | 9 | 3.0 | — | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Michael Penix Jr | QB | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | — | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Brian Robinson Jr | HB | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | — | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Barion Brown | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Devaughn Vele | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jordyn Tyson | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Juwan Johnson | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kyle Pitts Sr | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zachariah Branch | WR | 8 | 134 | 16.8 | 96 | 1 | 80 | 0 |
| Drake London | WR | 8 | 110 | 13.8 | 24 | 1 | 23 | 1 |
| Juwan Johnson | TE | 6 | 68 | 11.3 | 13 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Jordyn Tyson | WR | 5 | 51 | 10.2 | 13 | 0 | 15 | 1 |
| Kyle Pitts Sr | TE | 4 | 51 | 12.8 | 19 | 0 | 21 | 0 |
| Chris Olave | WR | 3 | 46 | 15.3 | 6 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| Tyler Harrell | WR | 3 | 31 | 10.3 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Alvin Kamara | HB | 2 | 12 | 6.0 | — | 0 | 8 | 1 |
| Travis Etienne Jr | HB | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | 8 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Austin Hooper | TE | 2 | 12 | 6.0 | — | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Mason Tipton | WR | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | — | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Oscar Delp | TE | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Devaughn Vele | WR | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Noah Fant | TE | 2 | 4 | 2.0 | — | 1 | 3 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denzel Ward | CB | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Martin Emerson Jr | CB | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Harold Perkins Jr | WILL | 4 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jordan Howden | FS | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pete Werner | MIKE | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Emmanuel McNeil-Warren | FS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Justin Reid | FS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| James Pearce Jr | REDG | 1 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| A.J. Terrell Jr | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gervon Dexter Sr | DT | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Davon Godchaux | DT | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jonas Sanker | SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Julian Blackmon | SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Billy Bowman Jr | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kool-Aid McKinstry | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kaden Elliss | WILL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Chase Young | LEDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jessie Bates III | FS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jalon Walker | LEDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Divine Deablo | MIKE | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sydney Brown | SS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nazeeh Johnson | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cameron Jordan | REDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vernon Broughton | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Quincy Riley | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Christen Miller | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Carl Granderson | REDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Samson Ebukam | REDG | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Za'Darius Smith | LEDG | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel Carlson | K | 1 | 1 | 1 | 33 |
| Nick Folk | K | 2 | 2 | 3 | 43 |

