NEW ORLEANS — A game New Orleans Saints team rallied from a 24-6 deficit to take a lead with 1:01 to go but then immediately gave up a 64-yard pass play from Matt Ryan to Cordarrelle Patterson set up the game-winning field goal as the Falcons survived blowing an 18-point lead to beat the Saints 27-25 Sunday in the Caesars Superdome.
The win came against a Saints team that has beaten the defending Super Bowl champions and given Green Bay its only loss, but who was also blown out by Carolina and lost to a struggling Giants team at home.
"We didn’t do the things that winning teams do consistently in our league and we have to get that corrected," said Saints head coach Sean Payton. "We didn’t do enough things well today. Too many penalties, too many long yardage situations."
Matt Ryan had a big day with 23 of 30 passing for 343 yards and two touchdowns. Ryan was only sacked twice, and that was on back to back plays in the team’s second to last drive.
The Saints scored 19 points in just over seven minutes of game time, taking the lead on a Trevor Siemian to Kenny Stills eight-yard scoring toss, but that score came with 1:01 to go and gave the Falcons more than enough time. In fact, the Falcons moved down the field so fast on the pass to Patterson that they sat on the ball a couple of times before kicking the game winner.
The Saints are now 1-2 at the Superdome this season - beating the Bucs and losing to the Giants and Falcons.
The Saints seemed dead to rights after a Siemian fumble and a Falcons return set up a touchdown pass that put Atlanta up 24-6, but, all of a sudden, Saints receivers and tight ends, who had spent the first three quarters seemingly dropping more passes than they caught, were making bit catches and runs and the Saints defense was shutting down Ryan and Company.
The Saints scored in eight plays, six plays and five plays with the defense holding the Falcons to a pair of three and outs. The defense and special teams returns set up the team in good field position.
SIemian finished 25 of 41 for 249 yards and two touchdowns, but he had at least half a dozen drops.
"It felt like we were one play, numerous times, of getting it right in the first half," said Siemian. "Plenty of opportunities. It seemed like every time we had something going, something came up the other way."