Everything appears to be falling in place for the Atlanta Falcons, who matched their best start since their 2016 NFC Championship season with Sunday’s 27-21 home win over the Dallas Cowboys.
The Falcons (6-3) have taken control of the NFC South. Atlanta, a franchise that’s searching for its first winning season and postseason appearance since 2017, can improve those chances this Sunday at the rival New Orleans Saints, where a win would push the Falcons to 5-0 against division opponents.
Raheem Morris, who was hired as Atlanta’s head coach in January, previously served as the Falcons’ interim coach in 2020 following Dan Quinn’s firing midway through that season. Now, Morris and company prepare for a Saints team that just made the same move.
New Orleans fired head coach Dennis Allen Monday after his Saints (2-7) lost their seventh straight game. The team named assistant head coach and special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi as the interim for the remainder of 2024.
As a coach who knows what an interim staff has to deal with, Morris understands that the Falcons’ opponent won’t have any less motivation on Sunday.
“When a coach gets fired in that situation, it doesn’t mean everything they were doing was bad. Everything Dennis Allen was trying to do wasn’t terrible,” Morris said in Monday’s press conference. “It’s just about applying your message and getting those guys to try to play for you. We know how good of a coach Rizzi is and some of the things he can do, so we better show up ready to go, because we also know what that looks like from the other side.”
Behind a potent offense, Atlanta looks to sweep New Orleans for the first time since 2016. Quarterback Kirk Cousins has thrown for seven touchdowns and zero interceptions over the last two weeks, steadily progressing under new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson.
“(Zac) has done a great job,” Morris added. “He’s kind of judged based on how Kirk looks and what he does. You can’t say those two haven’t gotten better through every single opportunity they’ve had. What they’re doing and how they’re growing every week has been awesome.”
Cousins’ 2,328 passing yards are good for third-most in the NFL, while his 17 passing touchdowns are tied for the league’s fourth-most. Under Robinson, the Falcons’ 24.6 points per game rank 12th in the NFL, up from last year’s 18.9 points per game.
On the injury front, Morris said wide receiver Drake London (hip pointer) and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett (Achilles strain) are considered day-to-day this week. London left the Cowboys game after getting injured on an acrobatic 9-yard touchdown catch.
Morris also said linebacker Troy Andersen, who missed his fifth straight game with a knee injury, was “close” to playing against Dallas.
“I think this week may be the turning point for us,” Morris said. “(There is) potential of getting him active this week and seeing what he can do.”
