Carolina ground the Falcons to dust via the ground game last weekend, running the ball 47 times for 203 yards and a touchdown en route to a victory. The gameplan was obviously to consistently pick up yards and stress a run defense that has had its ups-and-downs this year, and it worked alongside a cartoonishly timid passing game and Sam Darnold randomly taking off and picking up 8 yards at a time.
The Saints are going to look at that effort and say “why not us?” They’re right to do so, because Atlanta’s run defense is allowing the 7th-highest yards per game in the league, the Saints are going to be reliant on a backup quarterback, and Atlanta’s secondary is actually finding its feet with A.