The Atlanta Falcons will be battling a hated NFC South division rival on Thanksgiving Day for the second straight year, as they will play host to the New Orleans Saints that afternoon, per James Parks of 247 Sports.
Just two years removed from making it all the way to the Super Bowl and building a 28-3 halftime lead over the New England Patriots before collapsing in the second half and eventually losing to the Patriots in overtime, the Falcons looked far from being a Super Bowl contender this past season, as they won just seven games.
Meanwhile, the Saints posted 13 wins and captured the best record in the NFL. They then made it all the way to the NFC Championship Game before suffering a devastating and controversial overtime loss to the Los Angeles Rams, marking their second straight heartbreaking exit from the playoffs. Remember: the previous year, New Orleans fell to the Minnesota Vikings in the Divisional Round on a last-second touchdown.
The Saints swept the Falcons this past season, first beating them by a score of 43-37 at Atalnta in September and then later topping the Falcons in New Orleans by a score of 31-17 on Thanksgiving Day.
The Falcons missed the playoffs for the first time since 2015 this past year. During the 2017-18 campaign, Atlanta made it to the Divisional Round of the postseason before falling to the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Saints are aiming to make their third straight playoff appearance, a feat they have not accomplished since the 2011-12 season. New Orleans had missed the postseason three straight years before 2017.
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