When the New Orleans Saints looked at their schedule before the season and saw their road game against the Atlanta Falcons, they probably envisioned it would be a tough game.
After all, the Falcons were viewed by many as a legitimate contender to win the NFC South going into 2019 thanks to a high-powered offense and a healthier defense.
Of course, Atlanta has not even resembled a playoff team in 2019, as it entered Week 10 matchup with the Saints sporting a record of 1-7.
So, naturally, you would expect the 7-1 Saints to walk over their division rival.
Not so fast.
The Falcons came away with a rather stunning 26-9 win, snapping a six-game losing streak and sending the Saints to their first loss since falling to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 2.
Afterward, New Orleans head coach Sean Payton spoke out on his team's rather embarrassing performance.
“We didn’t play well enough to win today — really against anybody,” Payton said, according to Mike Triplett of ESPN.com. “Shame on us if we can’t get those corrections made. And that won’t be a problem. … That’s one of those things in this game that creates a little bit of toughness and grit.”
Perhaps the Saints will look back on this loss and be thankful, as it may have exposed some issues that Payton and Co. did not know were there, but at the same time, it may prove to be a very costly defeat. Why? Because New Orleans is now behind both the San Francisco 49ers and the Green Bay Packers in the race for a first-round bye in the NFC playoff picture.
The Saints will take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next Sunday.
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