NEW ORLEANS — The Atlanta Falcons routed the New Orleans Saints 45-24 on Monday Night Football to drop New Orleans to 1-3 in an embarrassing loss that spoiled the twentieth anniversary celebration of the infamous Domecoming game.
New Orleans finally got on the board late in the second quarter when Alvin Kamara scored on a three-yard rushing touchdown to cut the deficit to 14-7 for Atlanta. The Saints later drove into the red zone but settled for a field goal to make it 24-10, then Kamara added his second rushing touchdown of the day on a five-yard rush to pull within 31-17 before quarterback Tyler Shough found Devaughn Vele for a garbage-time touchdown that set the final at 45-24 for Atlanta.
Shough finished 30-of-48 for 286 yards and one touchdown while the Saints' passing offense totaled 30-of-48 for 270 yards with one passing touchdown and two sacks allowed. Kamara led the ground game with seven attempts for 23 rushing yards and two touchdowns plus five receptions for 35 receiving yards, and Chris Olave posted eight receptions for 116 yards. The rushing offense totaled 19 attempts for 50 yards at 2.6 yards per carry with two touchdowns and one fumble.
Defensively, New Orleans allowed 15-of-20 passing for 215 yards and one touchdown with one sack, but was gashed on the ground for 35 attempts, 205 yards and five touchdowns. Safety Julian Blackmon recorded 10 tackles with five solo stops, and edge rusher Tyree Wilson added six tackles, four solo, one sack and one tackle for loss.
After the harsh loss, New Orleans will host the Brian Flores-led Minnesota Vikings defense at home, where the franchise plans to honor legendary quarterback Drew Brees.