The Falcons' scoring got started thanks to a special teams mistake by the Saints. Leading 7-0, New Orleans had forced Atlanta to punt on its first possession when De'Vante Harris ran into punt returner Tommylee Lewis. Harris tried to grab the ball, fumbled and the Falcons recovered. They quickly scored on a 2-yard TD run by Tevin Coleman.
The teams continued to trade touchdowns - a 13-yard touchdown pass from Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan to Devonta Freemman, a 3-yard Drew Brees scoring pass to rookie Michael Thomas - until Atlanta scored back-to-back.