National Football League
New Orleans 27, Atlanta 26
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, September 11, 2022
Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
Temperature: Dome
Head Official: Alex Kemp
Attendance: 70078

Jameis Winston threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes and Wil Lutz kicked a winning 51-yard field goal with 19 seconds left as the visiting New Orleans Saints defeated the Atlanta Falcons 27-26 on Sunday afternoon.

The Saints blocked a 63-yard field goal attempt by Younghoe Koo as time expired, giving Dennis Allen a victory in his first game as Sean Payton's successor as Saints head coach.

The Falcons took a 26-10 lead early in the fourth quarter before Winston and wide receiver Michael Thomas went to work.

Watson led a four-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Thomas and a two-point conversion that trimmed the lead to 26-18 with 11:12 remaining.

Winston and Thomas teamed on a 9-yard touchdown, but a two-point run failed, leaving Atlanta with a 26-24 lead with 3:38 left.

The Saints got the ball back at their 20 with 48 seconds and no timeouts left and Winston, who completed 23 of 34 for 269 yards, drove them into scoring range. A 40-yard completion to new Saints receiver Jarvis Landry set up the attempt.

Marcus Mariota, making his debut as Falcons quarterback, passed for 215 yards and rushed for 72 and a touchdown. Cordarrelle Patterson added 120 rushing yards and a touchdown.

The Saints had minus-2 passing yards in the first half, but Winston passed for 22 on the first possession of the third quarter, leading to Lutz's 49-yard field goal that cut Atlanta's lead to 16-10.

The Falcons responded on the ensuing possession with Mariota's 2-yard touchdown run that produced a 23-10 lead at the end of the third quarter.

On the first possession of the game, Mariota drove the Falcons 40 yards to Koo's 54-yard field goal.

On the Saints' second possession Taysom Hill broke free for a 57-yard run that led to his 11-yard touchdown run and a 7-3 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Patterson's 5-yard touchdown run completed a 66-yard drive and gave the Falcons a 10-7 lead early in the second quarter.

Koo added a 50-yard field goal and a 40-yarder as time expired, extending the Falcons' lead to 16-7 at halftime.

-- Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
Rushing
New Orleans   Atlanta
Taysom Hill Player Cordarrelle Patterson
4 Attempts 22
81 Yards 120
20.2 Avg Yards 5.5
1 Touchdowns 1
57 Long 15
Receiving
New Orleans   Atlanta
Jarvis Landry Player Drake London
7 Receptions 5
114 Yards 74
16.3 Avg Yards 14.8
0 Touchdowns 0
40 Long 31
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
New Orleans 385 151 234 3 2 0 0.0 2
Atlanta 416 201 215 2 4 0 4.0 1
Upcoming Games
  • Atlanta will play their next game on the road against L.A. Rams. The Falcons have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
  • New Orleans will play their next game at home against Tampa Bay. The Saints have a W/L % of 1.000 after a win and .000 after a loss.