Falcons-Saints rivalry renewed with a playoff berth still possible for either team

ATLANTA (7-9) at NEW ORLEANS (8-8)

Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, CBS

BETTING LINE: Saints by 3, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

AGAINST THE SPREAD: Falcons 5-11, Saints 6-9-1.

SERIES RECORD: Falcons lead 55-54.

LAST MEETING: Falcons beat Saints 24-15 on Nov. 26, 2023, in Atlanta.

LAST WEEK: Falcons lost to Bears 37-17; Saints beat Buccaneers 23-13

FALCONS OFFENSE: OVERALL (18), RUSH (8), PASS (22), SCORING (26).

FALCONS DEFENSE: OVERALL (11), RUSH (19), PASS (8), SCORING (T-9).

SAINTS OFFENSE: OVERALL (20), RUSH (2), PASS (28), SCORING (T-21).

SAINTS DEFENSE: OVERALL (12), RUSH (1), PASS (25), SCORING (T-21).

TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Falcons minus-9; Saints plus-8.

FALCONS PLAYER TO WATCH: With QB Taylor Heinicke possibly limited by his left ankle injury, Atlanta could re-emphasize its running game led by rookie Bijan Robinson. Robinson is tied with William Andrews (1,332 in 1979) for most yards from scrimmage by a rookie in franchise history.

SAINTS PLAYER TO WATCH: TE Juwan Johnson set career highs with eight catches and 90 yards receiving last week, including his fourth TD catch of the season. He has TD receptions in each of his past three games.

KEY MATCHUP: Atlanta's running game, which averages 130 yards per game, against the Saints' defensive front. The previous time these teams played, the Falcons rushed for 228 yards. The Saints have allowed 200 yards rushing twice this season and more than 130 yards six times, but have shown signs of improvement lately, holding two of New Orleans' past three opponents below 100 yards rushing.

KEY INJURIES: Falcons QB Taylor Heinicke (ankle) showed up on the injury report and LT Jake Matthews (knee) practiced on Wednesday. ... LB Arnold Ebiketie (knee) and LB Lorenzo Carter (neck) also practiced. ... Saints RB Alvin Kamara missed practice time this week with an ankle injury, while Johnson was sidelined with a chest injury and defensive tackle Khalen Saunders began the week in the NFL's concussion protocol. WR Chris Olave was limited in practice by an ankle injury. Defensive end Payton Turner practiced on a limited basis as he recovers from an early season toe injury, leaving open the possibility he could be activated off injured reserve.

SERIES NOTES: The Saints had won three straight meetings before the Falcons snapped that streak on Thanksgiving weekend. The Falcons have not swept the season series since 2016. Their 108 regular-season matchups — which they have split — are more than either club has played against any other NFL team.

STATS AND STUFF: Either team could win the NFC South with a win and a loss by Tampa Bay. ... The Falcons’ minus-9 turnover differential is the fifth worst in the league. … WR Drake London needs five catches to become the first Atlanta player with at least 70 catches and 700 receiving yards in each of his first two seasons. With a combined 137 receptions in 2022 and 2023, London has passed Julio Jones (133 in 2011-12) for most receptions by a Falcons player in his first two seasons. … London has 65 catches for 864 yards but only two touchdowns. … The Falcons would win the division and reach the playoffs for the first time since 2017 if they beat the Saints and Carolina wins against Tampa Bay. … Arthur Smith is 21-29 in his third season as Atlanta’s coach, following 7-10 records in each of his first two seasons. … The Falcons have 39 sacks after ranking next to last in the league with 21 in 2022 and last with 18 in 2021. … S Jessie Bates leads the Falcons with career-high totals of 128 tackles and six interceptions. He has forced three fumbles and also leads Atlanta with 11 passes defensed. ... The Saints could reach the playoffs as a wild card with a win and losses by both Seattle and Green Bay. ... QB Derek Carr completed 24 of 32 passes (75%) for 197 yards and two TDs without an interception at Tampa Bay last week. … Carr has at least two TD passes in each of his past four games. Carr has 3,614 yards passing this season. He passed for 304 yards in the previous meeting. … QB Taysom Hill had his 11th career TD receiving last week. … Kamara has 1,240 scrimmage yards (95.4 per game) and three rush TDs in 13 games vs. Atlanta. … RB Jamaal Williams had season-high 71 scrimmage yards (58 rush, 13 receiving) last week. … WR Chris Olave has career highs with 84 catches and 1,067 yards receiving this season, but had one of his least productive games of the season statistically last week, catching three passes for 26 yards. … Rookie DT Bryan Bresee had a sack last week. … LB Demario Davis had his 10th tackle for loss and first fumble return of the season last week. … CB Paulson Adebo is tied for third in the NFL with a career-high 17 passes defensed. … CB Alontae Taylor had his first career interception last week. … S Tyrann Mathieu had two interceptions in the first meeting this season. … S Jonathan Abram had his first interception and first forced fumble of season last week.

FANTASY TIP: Until the Saints prove they can stop Robinson, he's a good bet. Robinson had 123 yards and two TDs from scrimmage in the previous meeting.