There's not much left to say for Atlanta fans: If the Falcons have any hopes of repeating as NFC South Champions, they'll need to at least split their season series with New Orleans, and a win Sunday would tie the teams at 6-3 heading into the Saints' bye week, allowing Atlanta to make up ground with games against Tennessee and Minnesota in the coming weeks.
The rivalry has been owned by the Saints in recent years, what with New Orleans' ascension to a Super Bowl and the Falcons' managerial and head coaching woes pre-Dimitroff/Smith. No game matters more to Atlanta fans, and despite their supposed status as an "elite" NFL franchise, the same can be said in Louisiana, according to Drew Brees' quote to ESPN:
"If you're just kind of walking around town, fans say, 'If you do one thing this year, just beat Atlanta,' " New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees said. "I think that's probably the sentiment of fans that have been longtime Saints fans, I'm sure. Maybe longtime Falcons fans say the same thing to them about beating the Saints, I don't know.’’
Date, Time: Sunday, November 13, 1 p.m. ET
Location: The Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia
TV: FOX
Radio: Atlanta Falcons Radio Network
Streaming: None
Spread: Saints by 1
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