Saints vs. Falcons 2026: Monday Night Rivalry Preview

(NEW ORLEANS, LA) - There are 17 games on the Saints schedule, and then there are the two that really matter to Who Dat Nation. It's Falcons week, or as most of us in South Louisiana call it, Hate Week. Growing up in New Orleans, I always remembered my older siblings explaining how much they hated the Falcons, including one brother who (for some reason) was the lone Cowboys fan in the house.

Get our free mobile app

How to Watch/Listen to Saints vs Falcons Monday Night Game

The Saints host the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football this Monday, October 5, at 7:15 p.m. at the Caesars Superdome. You can watch the game on ESPN, with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman on the call. But, if you prefer, you can listen to the call with the Saints broadcast team on 97.3 the Dawg and 103.3 the GOAT (unfortunately not on the app, it's a radio-only broadcast). It's the Saints' first Monday night game in the Dome since 2022, according to the Saints, and there's a lot more on the line than bragging rights.

The All-Time Series Is on the Line

Here's the part that should have every Saints fan fired up. The Falcons lead the all-time regular season series 57-56. A Saints win Monday night ties it at 57-57, as mentioned in the team's game preview. Add in the 1991 playoff game, and Atlanta leads 58-56 overall.

These two teams have played each other more than any other regular season opponent, and it's been close for nearly 60 years. Both teams come in at 1-2, and a win keeps the Saints in at least a share of first place in the NFC South.

Saints head coach Kellen Moore knows what this one means. Talking with Bobby Hebert and Mike Hoss on WWL after the Raiders loss, Moore said,

We're going to have as cool of an opportunity as we possibly can on Monday night to play the Atlanta Falcons, Monday Night Football with all the history of what this game is going to mean to this community and this team.

Payback for Last Season

Saints fans haven't forgotten last year. The Falcons swept the series in 2025, including a 19-17 win in Atlanta in the season finale on January 4. Monday night is the first chance to return the favor.

The Night the Dome Came Back

If you're a Saints fan, you know exactly where you were on September 25, 2006. It was the first game back in the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina, and the opponent was Atlanta. Steve Gleason blocked a punt on the Falcons' opening drive and the Saints recovered it for a touchdown. The Dome erupted. New Orleans won 23-3, and that block now stands outside the Superdome as the statue "Rebirth."

That night is a big reason the Saints have owned this rivalry for the last two decades. Since 2006, the Saints are 26-14 against Atlanta, according to the team.

The Highs and Lows of Nearly 60 Years

This rivalry goes all the way back to November 20, 1967, when the Saints beat the Falcons 27-24 at Tulane Stadium. Since then, it's been a roller coaster:

The best stretch: The Saints won 13 of 16 meetings from 1986 to 1994.
The worst stretch: Atlanta won 10 straight from 1995 to 1999, the Saints' longest winless streak against any opponent.
The biggest blowout: The Falcons beat the Saints 62-7 in 1973. The Saints' biggest win came in 1987, a 38-0 shutout.
The playoff heartbreak: In the 1991 NFC Wild Card game, Chris Miller hit Michael Haynes for a 61-yard touchdown, and Atlanta won 27-20.
The nail-biters: Eight games in the series have gone to overtime.

Drew Brees and Matt Ryan started against each other 23 times, which is a Super Bowl era record for a quarterback matchup, according to Wikipedia's rivalry history.

Saints Fans Take This One Personally

Even Brees admitted the fans feel this one more than anybody. "The fans probably see it as more of a rivalry and all of that stuff than the players do," Brees once said, via 247Sports.

And of course, no Hate Week would be complete without Saints fans reminding Atlanta about 28-3, the lead the Falcons blew against the Patriots in Super Bowl LI. Expect to see that number all over social media between now and Monday night.

I'll be watching Monday night like the rest of the Who Dat nation, hoping we even up the series and start making up for last season. Who Dat!