When the Falcons met the Saints in early November 2020, they shocked everyone by coming out of the bye week at 1-7 and soundly thumping New Orleans. The 26-9 victory saw Drew Brees sacked six times and failing to throw a single touchdown, and the game was a delightful reminder of what it was like to watch a game against the Saints and enjoy it.
Unfortunately for the Falcons, Sean Payton’s ego is equalled only by his acumen, and when the two teams met again 18 days later the Saints were ready for them. Payton and company had cooked up a pressure-packed gameplan where Matt Ryan was sacked nine times, and New Orleans unpleasantly rolled to a 26-18 victory where Atlanta barely looked competitive on offense.