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Weeks 4 and 17 of the 2026 regular season will see a renewal of one of the most fiercely competitive rivalries in sports. The New Orleans Saints will host the Atlanta Falcons on Monday, Oct. 4, then travel to Atlanta on Sunday, Jan. 3. Both games are expected to have significant impacts on the NFC South standings and perhaps the overall NFC playoff picture.
Few rivalries in sports have been this closely contested. In 114 games against one another, there is only a two game separation with just 78 total points separating the two. The Saints are coming off a 6-11 finish in 2025, but are expected to be vastly improved and hope for a playoff berth for the first time since 2020. Atlanta had a better record last season at 8-9, but are in the midst of eight straight losing seasons and have not been to the postseason since the 2017 campaign. Here's a look at one of the most hotly contested but arguably the most underrated rivalry in sports.
New Orleans and Atlanta first locked horns in 1967 and 1969. The Saints won the 1967 matchup in New Orleans by a 27-24 score, with the Falcons winning a 1969 game in Atlanta by a 45-17 margin. These teams have been division foes since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970, first in the NFC West until 2002 and the NFC South since. The Falcons won the first eight games after the merger, part of a nine-game winning streak after that 1967 victory by the Saints. New Orleans put together a couple different consecutive wins against the Falcons through the mid-1970s, but this series was pretty much dominated by Atlanta until 1983. The Saints were a frustrating 8-20 against the Falcons spanning through the end of the 1982 season. In the 43 years since, New Orleans owns a 48-38 overall advantage in this series.
Atlanta was a particular house of horrors for the Saints through 1982. New Orleans lost 12 of the first 14 road showdowns against their bitter rival. The Saints significantly turned the tide on the road in 1983, winning 10 of 12 road matchups against the Falcons between then and 1994. Even though Atlanta went on a five-year home winning streak against New Orleans after that, the Saints have nearly turned road games in this series into their home away from home. Since the Falcons moved into a domed stadium in 1992, the Saints have a 18-16 record in this series on the road.
Even in New Orleans, this rivalry has had wild ebbs and flows. Atlanta won four of the first five games played in New Orleans during this rivalry, all played in Tulane Stadium. Even after opening up the Superdome, the Saints didn't have great fortune early on. New Orleans won their first three meetings against Atlanta in their dome. However, the Falcons were responsible for two painful last second and overtime defeats in 1978 (20-17) and 1979 (40-34) that perhaps cost the Saints their first postseason appearance each year. Over a 25-year period between 1980 and 2004, the Saints could muster a rather appalling 10-15 record inside the Superdome versus the Falcons. The most painful of those was a 27-20 defeat at home to the hands of their bitter foes during a 1991 wild-card matchup. After one of the most devastating natural disasters in American history, this rivalry would also take a sharp turn in the other direction.
Hurricane Katrina obliterated New Orleans and the entire Gulf Coast region in August of 2005, forcing the Saints to play all of their home games out of the area. New Orleans wouldn't return to the Superdome for over a calendar year. On Monday, Sept. 25, 2006, the Saints would make a triumphant return. They'd do so against their bitter rival, taking an emotional 23-3 victory. Behind quarterback Drew Brees and head coach Sean Payton, the Saints would then take a stranglehold of this series. Over the following 19 years, the Saints owned the Falcons by a 26-12 advantage. That included a 14-5 record against them in the Superdome and an equally impressive 12-5 record in Atlanta from 2006 through 2022.
Atlanta has fared better against the Saints in the last two years, taking three of the last four matchups. However, the Falcons may not feel great about meeting New Orleans on a Monday night. The Falcons reportedly whined their way out of a trip to the Superdome in Week 3, very close to the 20-year anniversary of the return to the dome after Katrina. However, the Saints get them at home the following Monday evening. These enemies have clashed seven times on Monday night prior to this season. The Saints have a 7-2 record in those prime time showdowns, including 3-1 inside the Superdome.
New Orleans and Atlanta matchups have often decided the fate of the NFC South in recent years. This season, the Saints are expected to be a team on the rise while the Falcons, again, seem rudderless. However, their early October clash could set up the winner for early control of the division while their Week 17 showdown could ultimately decide the fate of one or both squads. With this rivalry, the only thing you can expect in the outcome is the wildly unexpected.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: New Orleans Saints vs. Atlanta Falcons: Who holds the series lead?
Continue reading...
Few rivalries in sports have been this closely contested. In 114 games against one another, there is only a two game separation with just 78 total points separating the two. The Saints are coming off a 6-11 finish in 2025, but are expected to be vastly improved and hope for a playoff berth for the first time since 2020. Atlanta had a better record last season at 8-9, but are in the midst of eight straight losing seasons and have not been to the postseason since the 2017 campaign. Here's a look at one of the most hotly contested but arguably the most underrated rivalry in sports.
Saints vs Falcons series history
- Overall: 56-58
- Home: 29-28
- Away: 27-30
- Last 12 matchups: 7-5
- Last 5 matchups: 2-3
- Longest Saints winning streak: 6 (1986-89)
- Longest Falcons winning streak: 10 (1995-99)
- Last matchup in New Orleans: Falcons (24-10)
- Last matchup in Atlanta: Falcons (19-17)
New Orleans and Atlanta first locked horns in 1967 and 1969. The Saints won the 1967 matchup in New Orleans by a 27-24 score, with the Falcons winning a 1969 game in Atlanta by a 45-17 margin. These teams have been division foes since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970, first in the NFC West until 2002 and the NFC South since. The Falcons won the first eight games after the merger, part of a nine-game winning streak after that 1967 victory by the Saints. New Orleans put together a couple different consecutive wins against the Falcons through the mid-1970s, but this series was pretty much dominated by Atlanta until 1983. The Saints were a frustrating 8-20 against the Falcons spanning through the end of the 1982 season. In the 43 years since, New Orleans owns a 48-38 overall advantage in this series.
Atlanta was a particular house of horrors for the Saints through 1982. New Orleans lost 12 of the first 14 road showdowns against their bitter rival. The Saints significantly turned the tide on the road in 1983, winning 10 of 12 road matchups against the Falcons between then and 1994. Even though Atlanta went on a five-year home winning streak against New Orleans after that, the Saints have nearly turned road games in this series into their home away from home. Since the Falcons moved into a domed stadium in 1992, the Saints have a 18-16 record in this series on the road.
Even in New Orleans, this rivalry has had wild ebbs and flows. Atlanta won four of the first five games played in New Orleans during this rivalry, all played in Tulane Stadium. Even after opening up the Superdome, the Saints didn't have great fortune early on. New Orleans won their first three meetings against Atlanta in their dome. However, the Falcons were responsible for two painful last second and overtime defeats in 1978 (20-17) and 1979 (40-34) that perhaps cost the Saints their first postseason appearance each year. Over a 25-year period between 1980 and 2004, the Saints could muster a rather appalling 10-15 record inside the Superdome versus the Falcons. The most painful of those was a 27-20 defeat at home to the hands of their bitter foes during a 1991 wild-card matchup. After one of the most devastating natural disasters in American history, this rivalry would also take a sharp turn in the other direction.
Hurricane Katrina obliterated New Orleans and the entire Gulf Coast region in August of 2005, forcing the Saints to play all of their home games out of the area. New Orleans wouldn't return to the Superdome for over a calendar year. On Monday, Sept. 25, 2006, the Saints would make a triumphant return. They'd do so against their bitter rival, taking an emotional 23-3 victory. Behind quarterback Drew Brees and head coach Sean Payton, the Saints would then take a stranglehold of this series. Over the following 19 years, the Saints owned the Falcons by a 26-12 advantage. That included a 14-5 record against them in the Superdome and an equally impressive 12-5 record in Atlanta from 2006 through 2022.
Atlanta has fared better against the Saints in the last two years, taking three of the last four matchups. However, the Falcons may not feel great about meeting New Orleans on a Monday night. The Falcons reportedly whined their way out of a trip to the Superdome in Week 3, very close to the 20-year anniversary of the return to the dome after Katrina. However, the Saints get them at home the following Monday evening. These enemies have clashed seven times on Monday night prior to this season. The Saints have a 7-2 record in those prime time showdowns, including 3-1 inside the Superdome.
New Orleans and Atlanta matchups have often decided the fate of the NFC South in recent years. This season, the Saints are expected to be a team on the rise while the Falcons, again, seem rudderless. However, their early October clash could set up the winner for early control of the division while their Week 17 showdown could ultimately decide the fate of one or both squads. With this rivalry, the only thing you can expect in the outcome is the wildly unexpected.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: New Orleans Saints vs. Atlanta Falcons: Who holds the series lead?
Continue reading...
