The New Orleans Saints head into Week 4 at 1-2, and Monday night brings more than a divisional game with Atlanta. It lands in the 20th anniversary window of the Saints’ “Domecoming” game from Week 3 of the 2006 season, the night the Louisiana Superdome reopened and New Orleans got its team back inside its own building after what had felt impossible a year earlier.
That 2006 night carried all the weight. It was Sean Payton and Drew Brees’ first game in the Superdome as Saints, and Steve Gleason’s punt block turned the evening into one of the defining moments in New Orleans sports history.
But this is not that game, and this is not that team. The source of the emotion is the same; the personnel is not.
The anniversary technically passed a week ago, and what remains now is a rivalry game, pride, and a crowd that will remember where it was two decades ago.
This matchup also arrives with the Saints and Falcons both sitting at 1-2. It is the second straight primetime game for Atlanta and the first in the Kellen Moore era for New Orleans. The setting will be charged, but the result will come down to the football being played now, not the one remembered from 2006.
The Saints are picked to get the job done, 28-24.
That closes a Week 4 slate that starts in the AFC North, where Pittsburgh is projected to leave Cleveland with a 14-10 win in what should be a defensive battle. The AFC North is described as the tightest and most hotly contested division in the league right now, and this one fits that tone.
In London, Washington is picked to edge Indianapolis 19-13 in a game between “pretty even teams.”
Baltimore is expected to handle Tennessee 21-14, even with the Titans’ defense keeping things closer than it might look on paper.
Buffalo stays unbeaten with a 28-27 win over New England in what is billed as a strong AFC East duel.
Chicago is projected to beat the Jets 21-14.
Cincinnati gets one of the week’s most attractive matchups and comes away with a 34-27 win over Jacksonville, with Joe Burrow delivering the late touchdown drive.
Dallas is picked to beat the Texans 29-19 behind its offense.
Arizona, despite sitting under .500, is viewed as one of the league’s surprise teams and is picked to win on the road against the Giants, 27-19.
Philadelphia is expected to get back on track with a 31-24 win over the Rams.
Tampa Bay is forecast to snap its skid by beating Green Bay 23-17 for its first win of the season.
Minnesota, described plainly as very good, is picked to roll past Miami 32-14.
Kansas City is the pick in the battle of unbeaten AFC West rivals at Las Vegas, with the Raiders expected to stumble badly in a turnover-heavy game and the Chiefs winning 35-7.
Seattle is projected to beat the Chargers 27-24.
Denver is the pick to hand San Francisco its first loss, 29-28, in a game between teams with top-tier coaching.
Sunday night brings Detroit to Carolina, where the Panthers are picked to win 33-31.
Last week’s record was 7-9, with the note attached: “What do I know: Panthers over Browns?”
In Other News...
Saints May Have Found The Offensive Answer Tyler Shough Needed
In a Week 3 loss to the Raiders, the Saints still found something that could matter a lot for the offense going forward: a productive tandem at tight end. Juwan Johnson was a steady target with eight catches for 53 yards and two touchdowns, while Noah Fant added four receptions for 33 yards and two more scores, giving Kellen Moore a pair of matchup problems the Raiders struggled to solve.
The bigger takeaway for New Orleans is how that kind of involvement can help Tyler Shough settle into the offense. If Johnson and Fant keep stressing defenses in the red zone and forcing uncomfortable coverage decisions, it gives the Saints a cleaner path to efficiency and a more reliable structure around a young quarterback still looking for answers. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Suddenly Have One Problem That Could Decide Everything
Tyler Shough has given the Saints a spark early, piling up 917 passing yards and eight touchdowns through three games and suddenly putting himself among the leagues most productive passers. For a team that needed some steadiness on offense, that kind of production has changed the conversation around what New Orleans can be if the passing game keeps humming.
The issue, though, is that the same aggression helping the Saints move the ball has come with costly giveaways, and those turnovers have been a major reason recent wins slipped away. If New Orleans is going to turn this start into something sustainable, it likely comes down to cleaner decision-making and a better run in the turnover battle, the sort of detail that can swing close games and, eventually, the season. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Suddenly Face A Backfield Problem Before Falcons Showdown
New Orleans made a flurry of roster moves ahead of its Monday night meeting with Atlanta, and the biggest one for the offense came in the backfield. The Saints signed wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr. to the active roster, then added running back Ulysses Bentley IV and edge rusher David Ojabo to the practice squad as they continued shuffling the bottom of the roster before a key NFC South game.
The move that stands out most is Travis Etienne Jr. going on injured reserve because of a hamstring injury, a development that leaves the Saints thinner at running back at an awkward time. With the Falcons up next, the timing only adds to the uncertainty around how New Orleans will piece together its ground game and who will be available to help carry it. [Read more 🡒]