Before interim New Orleans Saints coach Darren Rizzi disappeared down a tunnel toward the locker room, he paused, holding his gold, team-issued hat high above his head, and acknowledged fans still celebrating his triumphant debut in the Superdome.

The Falcons were road favorites in the heated division rivalry after arriving in the Big Easy in first place in the NFC South. The Saints, by contrast, had lost seven straight games and were playing for the first time since firing coach Dennis Allen and replacing him with special teams coach Darren Rizzi on an interim basis.

The Saints rack up 23 points per game, comparable to the 24 the Falcons allow. New Orleans averages just 19.9 fewer yards per game (331.4) than Atlanta gives up per outing (351.3). This season the Saints have turned the ball over 11 times, one more than the Falcons' takeaways (10).