Falcons–Saints rivalry
Falcons and Saints face off during the 2009 season. | |
Atlanta Falcons
New Orleans Saints
| |
| Location | Atlanta, New Orleans |
|---|---|
| First meeting | November 20, 1967 Falcons 24, Saints 27 |
| Latest meeting | November 10, 2024 Saints 20, Falcons 17 |
| Next meeting | November 23, 2025 |
| Stadiums | Falcons: Mercedes-Benz Stadium Saints: Caesars Superdome |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 112 |
| All-time series | Tie: 56–56 |
| Regular season series | Saints: 56–55 |
| Postseason results | Falcons: 1–0 |
| Largest victory | Falcons: 62–7 (1973) Saints: 38–0 (1987) |
| Most points scored | Falcons: 62 (1973) Saints: 48 (2023) |
| Longest win streak | Falcons: 10 (1995–1999) Saints: 6 (1986–1989) |
| Current win streak | Saints: 1 (2024–present) |
| Post–season history | |
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The Falcons–Saints rivalry is a National Football League (NFL) rivalry between the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints.
The rivalry began in 1967 when the Saints entered the NFL as an expansion team; the Falcons had joined the league a year earlier. The two teams were the NFL's first in the traditional Deep South, which along with the Dallas Cowboys helped break the Washington Commanders decades-long monopoly as the NFL's only team located in the Southern United States. The teams were both placed in the NFC West in 1970, resulting in the teams playing two games against each other every year since (except for the strike-shortened 1987 season). The teams were both placed in the newly-formed NFC South in the 2002 realignment.
The national media rarely noted the series during the teams' first decades of existence, probably due to both teams' long stretches of futility. However, during the late 2000s and 2010s, both teams sustained success and routinely battled for the top spot in the NFC South. Despite both teams' lack of success for much of their histories, games between the two teams have riveted their respective regions for more than 50 years; fans of both teams consider the other their most important and hated opponent. ESPN.com writer Len Pasquarelli has cited the rivalry as one of the best in sports: "Every year, bus caravans loaded with rowdy (and usually very inebriated) fans make the seven-hour trip between the two cities. Unless you've attended a Falcons-Saints debauchery-filled afternoon, you'll just have to take my word for how much fun it really can be."
The September 25, 2006 match-up, which served as the Louisiana Superdome's official reopening after Hurricane Katrina, was considered a major milestone in New Orleans' and the Gulf Coast's recovery from the effects of the storm as well as the Saints' return to the city after their own year-long exile after the storm; the Saints later erected a statue outside the Superdome of Steve Gleason blocking Michael Koenen's punt to commemorate their win in that game.
The series is currently tied 56–56. The two teams have met once in the playoffs, with the Falcons holding a 1–0 record.