New Orleans Saints vs Atlanta Falcons — Falcons win 19-17, Jan 4, 2026

atSaints at Falcons

Week 18

Final

How it finished

Falcons edged Saints 19–17.

Falcons led 10–7 at the half and held the lead.

Falcons outscored Saints 7–0 in the 1st quarter — the swing that decided it.

The Falcons sit 3rd in the NFC South, 1 game back, coming off a win. The Saints sit 4th in the NFC South, 2 games back, losers of 2 straight.

The win pulls the Falcons back to .500 at 1-1. The Falcons are up next at Dolphins (Aug 28), then at Steelers. The Saints are up next at Cowboys (Aug 28), then at Lions.

Win probabilityATL win %

T.Shough pass short left intended for S.Toure INTERCEPTED by D.Alford at ATL 14. D.Alford pushed ob at NO 27 for 59 yards (A.Estime).ATL +24%
K.Cousins pass short right intended for K.Pitts INTERCEPTED by C.Granderson at NO 14. C.Granderson to NO 14 for no gain (K.Pitts).NO +13%
T.Shough pass short left to J.Johnson pushed ob at ATL 29 for 14 yards (D.Alford).NO +10%

Team stats

What each side actually did with the ball.

New Orleans Saints

Atlanta Falcons

340Total yards208

65Total plays61

5.2Yards / play3.4

16First downs14

232Passing yards159

23/35Comp / att18/32

5.9Yards / pass4.4

10Passing 1st downs11

108Rushing yards49

26Rush attempts25

4.2Yards / rush2.0

5Rushing 1st downs2

5-163rd down4-14

3-34th down1-1

2-3Red zone1-3

4-27Sacks allowed4-21

6-40Penalties5-42

2Turnovers↓1

1Fumbles lost↓0

31:19Possession28:41

Top performers

PassTyler Shough23/35, 259 YDS · 1 TD · 1 INT
RushAudric Estime21 CAR, 63 YDS
RecJuwan Johnson3 REC, 61 YDS

ATL

PassKirk Cousins18/32, 180 YDS · 1 TD · 1 INT
RushBijan Robinson15 CAR, 33 YDS
RecDrake London4 REC, 78 YDS · 1 TD

Drive summary

Saints11 drives

2 TD1 FG1 Miss FG4 Punt2 Turnover1 End

Scored on 3 of 11 · 30 yds/drive · long 65

Falcons12 drives

1 TD4 FG4 Punt1 Turnover2 End

Scored on 5 of 12 · 17 yds/drive · long 45

Scoring summary

Every point in the order it was scored, with the running score beside it.

Q1TDDrake London 15 Yd pass from Kirk Cousins (Zane Gonzalez Kick)0–7
Q2FGZane Gonzalez 40 Yd Field Goal0–10
Q2TDTyler Shough 1 Yd Rush (Charlie Smyth Kick)7–10
Q3FGZane Gonzalez 51 Yd Field Goal7–13
Q3FGCharlie Smyth 29 Yd Field Goal10–13
Q4FGZane Gonzalez 38 Yd Field Goal10–16
Q4FGZane Gonzalez 38 Yd Field Goal10–19
Q4TDRonnie Bell 16 Yd pass from Tyler Shough (Charlie Smyth Kick)17–19

Line score and box score

Points by quarter across the top, then every player who recorded a stat underneath, a table per unit. The pills switch clubs; the defensive table is the half of a football box most scoreboards leave out.

Qtr	1	2	3	4	T
NONew Orleans Saints	0	7	3	7	17
ATLAtlanta Falcons	7	3	3	6	19

Passing

Player	C/ATT	YDS	AVG	TD	INT	SACKS	QBR	RTG
Tyler Shough	23/35	259	7.4	1	1	4-27	60.8	85.3

Rushing

Player	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG
Audric Estime	21	63	3.0	0	9
Tyler Shough	3	34	11.3	1	29
Evan Hull	2	11	5.5	0	8

Receiving

Player	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	TGTS
Juwan Johnson	3	61	20.3	0	28	5
Dante Pettis	5	60	12.0	0	26	5
Audric Estime	5	43	8.6	0	19	5
Kevin Austin Jr.	4	37	9.3	0	15	9
Taysom Hill	3	32	10.7	0	13	3
Ronnie Bell	2	23	11.5	1	16	4
Samori Toure	1	3	3.0	0	3	3

Fumbles

Player	FUM	LOST	REC
Juwan Johnson	1	1	0

Defense

Player	TOT	SOLO	SACKS	TFL	PD	QB HTS
Carl Granderson	10	5	1.5	3	1	3
Chase Young	6	3	1.5	2	1	2
Demario Davis	6	1	0	0	0	0
Alontae Taylor	4	4	0	1	0	0
Cameron Jordan	4	3	1	2	0	2
Quincy Riley	4	3	0	0	2	0
Jonah Williams	4	1	0	1	0	0
Kool-Aid McKinstry	3	3	0	0	4	0
Danny Stutsman	3	3	0	0	0	0
John Ridgeway III	3	0	0	0	0	0
Taysom Hill	2	2	0	0	0	0
Terrell Burgess	2	2	0	0	0	0

Interceptions

Player	INT	YDS	TD
Carl Granderson	1	0	0

Kick returns

Player	NO	YDS	AVG	LONG	TD
Evan Hull	3	78	26.0	28	0

Punt returns

Player	NO	YDS	AVG	LONG	TD
Dante Pettis	2	17	8.5	14	0
Nyheim Hines	1	11	11.0	11	0

Kicking

Player	FG	PCT	LONG	XP	PTS
Charlie Smyth	1/2	50.0	29	2/2	5

Punting

Player	NO	YDS	AVG	TB	In 20	LONG
Kai Kroeger	4	203	50.8	0	1	55

League standings

The full ladder, with both clubs marked.

AFC East

#ClubW-LPCTStreak

1Buffalo Bills2-01.000W2

2New England Patriots1-0.750W1

3New York Jets1-1.500W1

4Miami Dolphins0-2.000L2

AFC North

#ClubW-LPCTStreak

1Cincinnati Bengals2-01.000W2

2Baltimore Ravens2-01.000W2

3Pittsburgh Steelers1-1.500L1

4Cleveland Browns0-2.000L2

AFC South

#ClubW-LPCTStreak

1Tennessee Titans2-01.000W2

2Jacksonville Jaguars1-1.500L1

3Indianapolis Colts0-1.250L1

4Houston Texans0-2.000L2

AFC West

#ClubW-LPCTStreak

1Los Angeles Chargers1-1.500L1

2Las Vegas Raiders1-1.500W1

3Denver Broncos1-1.500L1

4Kansas City Chiefs0-2.000L2

NFC East

#ClubW-LPCTStreak

1Dallas Cowboys2-01.000W2

2Washington Commanders1-1.500L1

3New York Giants1-1.500W1

4Philadelphia Eagles0-2.000L2

NFC North

#ClubW-LPCTStreak

1Detroit Lions1-1.500W1

2Minnesota Vikings1-1.500L1

3Green Bay Packers1-1.500W1

4Chicago Bears1-1.500L1

NFC South

#ClubW-LPCTStreak

1Tampa Bay Buccaneers2-01.000W2

2Carolina Panthers2-1.667W1

3Atlanta Falcons1-1.500W1

4New Orleans Saints0-2.000L2

NFC West

#ClubW-LPCTStreak

1Los Angeles Rams2-01.000W2

2San Francisco 49ers1-1.500W1

3Arizona Cardinals1-2.333L1

4Seattle Seahawks0-2.000L2

Saints at Falcons

New Orleans

Saints

Atlanta

Falcons

Post Game SummaryStat Savant

atSaints at Falcons

Week 18

Final

How it finished

Falcons edged Saints 19–17.

Falcons led 10–7 at the half and held the lead.

Falcons outscored Saints 7–0 in the 1st quarter — the swing that decided it.

The Falcons sit 3rd in the NFC South, 1 game back, coming off a win. The Saints sit 4th in the NFC South, 2 games back, losers of 2 straight.

The win pulls the Falcons back to .500 at 1-1. The Falcons are up next at Dolphins (Aug 28), then at Steelers. The Saints are up next at Cowboys (Aug 28), then at Lions.

Win probabilityATL win %

T.Shough pass short left intended for S.Toure INTERCEPTED by D.Alford at ATL 14. D.Alford pushed ob at NO 27 for 59 yards (A.Estime).ATL +24%
K.Cousins pass short right intended for K.Pitts INTERCEPTED by C.Granderson at NO 14. C.Granderson to NO 14 for no gain (K.Pitts).NO +13%
T.Shough pass short left to J.Johnson pushed ob at ATL 29 for 14 yards (D.Alford).NO +10%

Team stats

What each side actually did with the ball.

New Orleans Saints

Atlanta Falcons

340Total yards208

65Total plays61

5.2Yards / play3.4

16First downs14

232Passing yards159

23/35Comp / att18/32

5.9Yards / pass4.4

10Passing 1st downs11

108Rushing yards49

26Rush attempts25

4.2Yards / rush2.0

5Rushing 1st downs2

5-163rd down4-14

3-34th down1-1

2-3Red zone1-3

4-27Sacks allowed4-21

6-40Penalties5-42

2Turnovers↓1

1Fumbles lost↓0

31:19Possession28:41

Top performers

PassTyler Shough23/35, 259 YDS · 1 TD · 1 INT
RushAudric Estime21 CAR, 63 YDS
RecJuwan Johnson3 REC, 61 YDS

ATL

PassKirk Cousins18/32, 180 YDS · 1 TD · 1 INT
RushBijan Robinson15 CAR, 33 YDS
RecDrake London4 REC, 78 YDS · 1 TD

Drive summary

Saints11 drives

2 TD1 FG1 Miss FG4 Punt2 Turnover1 End

Scored on 3 of 11 · 30 yds/drive · long 65

Falcons12 drives

1 TD4 FG4 Punt1 Turnover2 End

Scored on 5 of 12 · 17 yds/drive · long 45

Scoring summary

Every point in the order it was scored, with the running score beside it.

Q1TDDrake London 15 Yd pass from Kirk Cousins (Zane Gonzalez Kick)0–7
Q2FGZane Gonzalez 40 Yd Field Goal0–10
Q2TDTyler Shough 1 Yd Rush (Charlie Smyth Kick)7–10
Q3FGZane Gonzalez 51 Yd Field Goal7–13
Q3FGCharlie Smyth 29 Yd Field Goal10–13
Q4FGZane Gonzalez 38 Yd Field Goal10–16
Q4FGZane Gonzalez 38 Yd Field Goal10–19
Q4TDRonnie Bell 16 Yd pass from Tyler Shough (Charlie Smyth Kick)17–19

Line score and box score

Qtr	1	2	3	4	T
NONew Orleans Saints	0	7	3	7	17
ATLAtlanta Falcons	7	3	3	6	19

Passing

Player	C/ATT	YDS	AVG	TD	INT	SACKS	QBR	RTG
Tyler Shough	23/35	259	7.4	1	1	4-27	60.8	85.3

Rushing

Player	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG
Audric Estime	21	63	3.0	0	9
Tyler Shough	3	34	11.3	1	29
Evan Hull	2	11	5.5	0	8

Receiving

Player	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	TGTS
Juwan Johnson	3	61	20.3	0	28	5
Dante Pettis	5	60	12.0	0	26	5
Audric Estime	5	43	8.6	0	19	5
Kevin Austin Jr.	4	37	9.3	0	15	9
Taysom Hill	3	32	10.7	0	13	3
Ronnie Bell	2	23	11.5	1	16	4
Samori Toure	1	3	3.0	0	3	3

Fumbles

Player	FUM	LOST	REC
Juwan Johnson	1	1	0

Defense

Player	TOT	SOLO	SACKS	TFL	PD	QB HTS
Carl Granderson	10	5	1.5	3	1	3
Chase Young	6	3	1.5	2	1	2
Demario Davis	6	1	0	0	0	0
Alontae Taylor	4	4	0	1	0	0
Cameron Jordan	4	3	1	2	0	2
Quincy Riley	4	3	0	0	2	0
Jonah Williams	4	1	0	1	0	0
Kool-Aid McKinstry	3	3	0	0	4	0
Danny Stutsman	3	3	0	0	0	0
John Ridgeway III	3	0	0	0	0	0
Taysom Hill	2	2	0	0	0	0
Terrell Burgess	2	2	0	0	0	0

Interceptions

Player	INT	YDS	TD
Carl Granderson	1	0	0

Kick returns

Player	NO	YDS	AVG	LONG	TD
Evan Hull	3	78	26.0	28	0

Punt returns

Player	NO	YDS	AVG	LONG	TD
Dante Pettis	2	17	8.5	14	0
Nyheim Hines	1	11	11.0	11	0

Kicking

Player	FG	PCT	LONG	XP	PTS
Charlie Smyth	1/2	50.0	29	2/2	5

Punting

Player	NO	YDS	AVG	TB	In 20	LONG
Kai Kroeger	4	203	50.8	0	1	55

League standings

The full ladder, with both clubs marked.

AFC East

#ClubW-LPCTStreak

1Buffalo Bills2-01.000W2

2New England Patriots1-0.750W1

3New York Jets1-1.500W1

4Miami Dolphins0-2.000L2

AFC North

#ClubW-LPCTStreak

1Cincinnati Bengals2-01.000W2

2Baltimore Ravens2-01.000W2

3Pittsburgh Steelers1-1.500L1

4Cleveland Browns0-2.000L2

AFC South

#ClubW-LPCTStreak

1Tennessee Titans2-01.000W2

2Jacksonville Jaguars1-1.500L1

3Indianapolis Colts0-1.250L1

4Houston Texans0-2.000L2

AFC West

#ClubW-LPCTStreak

1Los Angeles Chargers1-1.500L1

2Las Vegas Raiders1-1.500W1

3Denver Broncos1-1.500L1

4Kansas City Chiefs0-2.000L2

NFC East

#ClubW-LPCTStreak

1Dallas Cowboys2-01.000W2

2Washington Commanders1-1.500L1

3New York Giants1-1.500W1

4Philadelphia Eagles0-2.000L2

NFC North

#ClubW-LPCTStreak

1Detroit Lions1-1.500W1

2Minnesota Vikings1-1.500L1

3Green Bay Packers1-1.500W1

4Chicago Bears1-1.500L1

NFC South

#ClubW-LPCTStreak

1Tampa Bay Buccaneers2-01.000W2

2Carolina Panthers2-1.667W1

3Atlanta Falcons1-1.500W1

4New Orleans Saints0-2.000L2

NFC West

#ClubW-LPCTStreak

1Los Angeles Rams2-01.000W2

2San Francisco 49ers1-1.500W1

3Arizona Cardinals1-2.333L1

4Seattle Seahawks0-2.000L2