New Orleans
Saints
4-3
34
FINAL
31
Atlanta
Falcons
1-6
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a thrilling Week 8 matchup, the New Orleans Saints narrowly defeated the Atlanta Falcons by a score of 34-31, solidifying their position in the playoff race. Both teams battled fiercely, with the stakes high as they sought to gain momentum heading into the latter half of the season.
Tyler Shough led the Saints with an impressive performance, throwing for 359 yards while guiding the offense to crucial scoring drives. Meanwhile, Atlanta's Michael Penix Jr. showcased his prowess with three touchdown passes, keeping the Falcons competitive throughout the contest. Bijan Robinson also made his mark, rushing for 102 yards, while Zachariah Branch emerged as a receiving threat with a staggering 192 receiving yards, providing the Falcons with explosive plays.
On the defensive side, Rasheem Biles was a standout for New Orleans, recording 10 total tackles and anchoring the Saints' defense. The turning point came late in the fourth quarter when Chase Young's timely sack put immense pressure on Penix, forcing a critical turnover on downs. This pivotal moment allowed the Saints to maintain their lead and secure a hard-fought victory in Atlanta.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyler Shough | QB | 45 | 31 | 69% | 359 | 3 | 0 | 114.9 |
| Michael Penix Jr | QB | 28 | 16 | 57% | 307 | 3 | 0 | 131.1 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bijan Robinson | HB | 11 | 102 | 9.3 | 48 | 1 | 25 | 0 |
| Travis Etienne Jr | HB | 11 | 70 | 6.4 | 28 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| Kendre Miller | HB | 16 | 56 | 3.5 | 26 | 1 | 19 | 2 |
| Audric Estime | HB | 3 | 19 | 6.3 | 10 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Tyler Shough | QB | 4 | 16 | 4.0 | — | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| Michael Penix Jr | QB | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Zachariah Branch | WR | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | — | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Lincoln Pare | HB | 3 | 4 | 1.3 | — | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Marvin Mims Jr | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Olamide Zaccheaus | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jordyn Tyson | WR | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zachariah Branch | WR | 7 | 192 | 27.4 | 137 | 2 | 73 | 0 |
| Jordyn Tyson | WR | 10 | 178 | 17.8 | 65 | 2 | 72 | 0 |
| Juwan Johnson | TE | 8 | 114 | 14.3 | 24 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Kyle Pitts Sr | TE | 4 | 56 | 14.0 | 15 | 0 | 30 | 0 |
| Chris Olave | WR | 6 | 46 | 7.7 | 9 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Drake London | WR | 2 | 30 | 15.0 | 10 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Olamide Zaccheaus | WR | 2 | 22 | 11.0 | 7 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| Audric Estime | HB | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Travis Etienne Jr | HB | 2 | 5 | 2.5 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 1 |
| Kendre Miller | HB | 2 | 5 | 2.5 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Marvin Mims Jr | WR | 2 | 4 | 2.0 | — | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Bijan Robinson | HB | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rasheem Biles | MIKE | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Avieon Terrell | CB | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jessie Bates III | FS | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Divine Deablo | MIKE | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Xavier Watts | SS | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jamal Adams | WILL | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Mike Hughes | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jalon Walker | LEDG | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kaden Elliss | WILL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| James Pearce Jr | REDG | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| A.J. Terrell Jr | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chase Young | LEDG | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Anterio Thompson | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jared Ivey | LEDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Harold Perkins Jr. | SAM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kool-Aid McKinstry | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Jonas Sanker | FS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lorenzo Styles Jr. | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Carl Granderson | REDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jordan Howden | FS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brandon Dorlus | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| JD Bertrand | SAM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Billy Bowman Jr | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gervon Dexter Sr | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tyrek Funderburk | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Christen Miller | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Khristian Boyd | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tyree Wilson | LEDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pete Werner | MIKE | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jake Bailey | P | 1 | 1 | 4 | 51 |
| Chad Ryland | K | 2 | 2 | 4 | 27 |

