Monday Night Football in Week 4 brings a division matchup with both the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints trying to get to 2-2. The game has the feel of one that could turn into a points race, because both teams have shown they can score - and both have also had trouble stopping damage late.
That sets up a night where a few key players could put up eye-catching numbers.
Bijan Robinson is positioned for a monster outing for Atlanta. New Orleans has given up the 25th-most rushing yards, and Robinson is coming off a dominant Week 3 performance against Green Bay.
The Falcons should keep leaning on him early, and the workload could get heavy fast. The prediction here is simple: Robinson runs for more than 100 yards and scores three times.
Prediction: Atlanta running back Bijan Robinson sees a hefty workload, torching the Saints’ defense. Robinson finishes the game with over 100 rushing yards and three trips to the end zone.
If the Saints are chasing the game, Tyler Shough may end up throwing a lot more than they’d like. Atlanta’s secondary has allowed the 27th-most passing yards this season, and Shough already has more than 900 passing yards through three games.
That opens the door for a big night through the air, especially with Chris Olave as a featured target. The forecast: 350 passing yards and two touchdowns for Shough.
Prediction: Tyler Shough sees the team’s game plan shift to an air attack, spreading the ball around the field. Shough finishes Monday Night Football with 350 yards passing and two touchdowns.
On the defensive side, Za’Darius Smith is lined up for a disruptive night. He leads Atlanta in sacks entering Monday, and with New Orleans expected to lean on the pass, the veteran edge rusher should have plenty of chances to get after Shough. The prediction calls for Smith to bring him down three times, with a sack in each of the first three quarters.
Prediction: Za’Darius Smith gets through New Orleans’ offensive line, sacking quarterback Tyler Shough three times.
And then there’s Jessie Bates III, who could end up all over the field for Atlanta. He comes into the final game of Week 4 leading the Falcons in tackles, and if the Saints are forced into catch-up mode, Bates should be busy cleaning things up and slowing drives. The bold call: 15 tackles, plus a sack and an interception, in what would be a huge night - though Robinson’s production would still make the strongest case for player of the game.
Prediction: Atlanta safety Jessie Bates III leads all defenders, finishing Monday Night Football with 15 tackles, one sack, and one interception.
In Other News...
Falcons-Saints Just Lost A Reunion Fans Had Circled
The Week 4 meeting with New Orleans just got a little thinner on the Saints defensive side, as linebacker Kaden Elliss has been ruled out because of a calf injury. Atlanta also got some clarity on the rest of the matchup picture, with the Saints set to be without edge rushers Carl Granderson and Anfernee Jennings, while linebacker Pete Werner is listed as questionable.
For the Falcons, the most interesting ripple could come at linebacker if Divine Deablo cant go. That would open the door for rookie Harold Perkins Jr. to see more action, giving Atlanta a chance to lean on a younger defensive look in a division game that already carried plenty of intrigue before the injury report started to reshape it. [Read more 🡒]
Michael Penix Jr. Just Raised The Stakes For Falcons Vs Saints
Michael Penix Jr. is walking into one of the biggest spots of his young Falcons career, and he is not treating Monday nights trip to New Orleans like just another divisional game. Fresh off returning from an ACL injury, the quarterback is set to start against the Saints in a matchup that carries real weight for Atlantas NFC South hopes, with the Falcons still trying to establish themselves in the division race.
The setting only adds to the pressure. The game also lands on the 20th anniversary of the Saints first game back at the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina, giving the night an extra layer of emotion and attention. Penixs recent critical remark about New Orleans has already sharpened the edge of the matchup, and now he has to back it up in one of the leagues more charged road environments. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Fans Remember The Steve Gleason Play For A Different Reason
Two decades later, Steve Gleasons blocked punt still looms large over the Saints return to the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina, a snapshot that became bigger than the play itself and a symbol of recovery for a city and a franchise. For Falcons fans, it remains one of those moments that lives on for more than the football, a reminder of how one snap can take on a meaning nobody could have scripted.
Gleasons story did not stop there, of course. After his ALS diagnosis in 2011, he turned the visibility from that night into something far more lasting, becoming one of the sports most recognizable advocates for ALS awareness while continuing to share his life publicly. He now has an album, titled "Rebirth," on the way, drawn from the years since his diagnosis, and he has said that the blocked punt ended up giving him a platform that proved important in a fight much bigger than football. [Read more 🡒]