Following the Falcons and Panthers’ respective Week 9 wins over the Cowboys and Saints, the expectation was that Atlanta would handle New Orleans in Week 10.
The Falcons were coming off their fifth win in six weeks, while the Saints had just lost to the lowly Panthers for their seventh consecutive defeat. It seemed like the good guys were on their way to a perfect 5-0 record in the division and a season series sweep of their rivals for the first time since 2016.
Kirk Cousins was proving worth the $180 million investment and the Falcons were rolling. Meanwhile, Derek Carr returned from injury, but it didn’t make a difference. Fans in Atlanta were beaming with confidence, and their neighbors a few states over were reeling, but things changed on Monday morning.
The Saints fired Dennis Allen, and it’s obviously rejuvenated the fans, players, and maybe even the entire coaching staff. It’s not uncommon for a fan base to turn on a head coach, but the way the Saints players publicly turned on Allen isn’t what you typically see. The dismissal of their head coach has seemingly had a tremendously positive impact on the organization.
The Falcons aren’t going to the Superdome and facing the same Saints team or Saints fans. As if they needed any more reason to beat their rivals, New Orleans is going to be rejuvenated. That presents a special challenge for Atlanta. It was already going to be a difficult game because it’s a rivalry, but it’s different now.
Raheem Morris’ team has already sleepwalked into a game, which resulted in a 34-14 thrashing by the Seahawks, so there’s no reason to believe the Falcons are going to take a Dennis Allen and Marshon Lattimore-less Saints team lightly. But you’d be foolish to expect them to just roll over; it’s going to be a brawl Sunday.
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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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