The Atlanta Falcons are 3-7 and not going anywhere.
The New Orleans Saints are 2-8 and not going anywhere.
The longtime rivals meet Sunday in New Orleans with little at stake except trying to avoid last place in the NFC South.
Although the Falcons have a slightly better record than the Saints, things are looking a little better in New Orleans than in Atlanta.
The Falcons have lost five straight games and placed starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (knee) on injured reserve this week. He will undergo surgery to repair a partially torn ACL and will miss the rest of the season.
“We have a lot of mentally tough guys, sharp guys,” Atlanta head coach Raheem Morris said of the team that handles adversity.
Kirk Cousins, who Atlanta signed to a four-year, $180 million contract two years ago before using the No. 8 pick in the draft on Penix a few weeks later, will start at center.
“We’ll tailor the offense around Kirk – all the things we’re able to do with him, some of the things he’s done well in his past, some of the things he’s done well with us,” Morris said. “We will listen to Kirk and take his advice into account.”
Cousins, who started 160 games during his 14-year NFL career, is more experienced than most backup quarterbacks, but he said he still feels “a desperation the first few days of OTAs.”
“I never felt safe in this league,” he said. “I never felt like I got it. I never felt like my work was deserved or deserved. I have to play at a level that suggests I belong here.”
Cousins likely won’t have the services of Atlanta’s leading receiver, Drake London (60 catches, 810 receiving yards, six touchdown receptions), due to a knee injury.
Even with the absences, the Falcons’ offense can be explosive due to the presence of running back Bijan Robinson, who enters Week 12 third in the NFL with 1,289 yards from scrimmage and seventh in the NFL with 783 rushing yards.
The Saints are feeling better after winning against Carolina 17-7 two weeks ago heading into their bye week.
The victory was especially encouraging because of the performance of rookie second-round pick Tyler Shough in his second NFL start. Shough completed 19 of 27 passes for 282 yards with two touchdowns and no turnovers.
Shough will make his first start at home, although he replaced Spencer Rattler for the second half of a home loss to Tampa Bay last month before making his first start a week later in Inglewood, Calif., against the Rams.
“It’s a really great opportunity,” Shough said. “It’s the same process, and I just want to be myself. I have more of a leadership role and there’s a greater sense of urgency in practice. I feel more and more comfortable every day and every practice. Every time you play an NFL game, it’s an insane opportunity.”
In addition to Shough’s performance, the victory was also due to a season-best effort from the New Orleans defense, which managed three takeaways and allowed season-lows in rushing yards (73), passing yards (102) and total yards (175).
“We were really even on defense,” Saints head coach Kellen Moore said. “We only missed one tackle and we forced turnovers. We were in good shape and played with a lot of effort.”
In addition to Penix and London, two other Falcons starters missed practice Wednesday: guard Chris Lindstrom (foot) and safety Xavier Watts (illness). Only one Saints starter – tackle Taliese Fuaga (ankle) – missed practice.
Atlanta has a chance to tie the regular season series, which New Orleans leads 56-55.
–Field level media
