Resilience is a popular theme every October in the NFL.
Getting written off and being done aren’t the same thing.
The public had already quit on Drake Maye, Bryce Young, and Jameis Winston before they stepped on the field for NFL Sunday Week 4.
Maye had gone from MVP runner-up to a bust after a couple of poor performances.
Then he handed the MVP favourite Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills their first loss at the new Highmark Stadium.
Young still hasn’t been paid, but he added to his case for an extension when he threw for 329 yards and two touchdowns in an upset win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday Night Football.
Then there’s Winston, who gave New York Giants fans the full Jameis experience with three touchdowns, two interceptions, and one memorable comeback victory against the Arizona Cardinals.
Three wins by three QBs written off before kick-off.
Now the focus shifts to Monday Night Football, with the focus on resilience on and off the football field.
On September 25th, 2006, the New Orleans Saints beat the Atlanta Falcons 23-3 in their return to the rebuilt Superdome after Hurricane Katrina.
Steve Gleason blocked Michael Koenen’s punt on the first possession, Curtis Deloatch fell on it, and a city that had to watch their beloved Saints play its home games in New Jersey, San Antonio, and Baton Rouge celebrated more than just a victory on that night.
Yes, some things are still more important than football.
20 years and 10 days later, it will be the same teams, on the same stage, in a primetime NFC South showdown.
Saints versus Falcons in the “Domecoming” anniversary.
Let’s set the stage for Monday Night Football and lock in a FanDuel Best Bet in this Morning Coffee column for Monday October 5th, 2026.
Saints, Falcons Set To Meet 20 Years After The “Domecoming” In New Orleans
20 years ago, Drew Brees led New Orleans to a 3-0 start with a win over the rival Falcons on Monday Night Football at the Superdome.
The Saints went 10-6 that year and won a home playoff game over Jeff Garcia and the Philadelphia Eagles.
Three seasons later, Brees led New Orleans to its first Super Bowl win in franchise history.
Fast-forward to 2026, and it’s Tyler Shough leading the way for a Saints team that appeared to be trending up entering Week 3.
New Orleans fell a failed two-point conversion short of upsetting the Detroit Lions in Week 1, then spoiled the home opener for the Baltimore Ravens with an upset win in Week 2.
However, the Saints came crashing back down to earth in a 35-27 home loss to the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 3.
New Orleans faces another tough test versus Atlanta tonight.
The Falcons offence came to life in Michael Penix’s season debut, with 498 total yards and 35 points in a win over the Green Bay Packers on Thursday Night Football.
Penix threw for 256 yards and a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Bijan Robinson went off with 194 rushing yards and two touchdowns, along with two catches for 19 yards in that primetime victory.
Atlanta will attempt to lean on Robinson once again versus the Saints on the road.
The Falcons want to attack with their superstar running back, then strike through the air when the opposing defence overcommits to trying to stop the run.
Robinson has 349 rushing yards and 467 scrimmage yards through Atlanta’ first three games, accounting for 43.9 per cent of the team’s offensive production.
He’s averaged 145.4 scrimmage yards in NFL primetime games, including 181.0 on Monday Night Football.
Meanwhile, Penix leaned heavily on London in his debut, connecting on nine of 10 targets for 194 yards.
London accounted for 75.8 per cent of Penix’s pass yards.
Kyle Pitts, Jahan Dotson, Olamide Zaccheaus, Zachariah Branch, and Austin Hooper combined for 43 yards.
The Falcons need Penix to be able to move the football through the air efficiently without turning it over.
However, head coach Kevin Stefanski will still lean on Bijan as the focal point of his attack, using play-action and trying to keep Shough and the Saints offence off the field.
Jahmyr Gibbs ran the ball 29 times for 156 yards and two touchdowns against New Orleans in Week 1, along with five catches for 30 yards.
Derrick Henry had 68 rushing yards and a touchdown on only 16 carries, and the fact that Ravens offensive coordinator Declan Doyle gave him only five carries in the second half was a major talking point after that game.
Then last week, Ashton Jeanty and Mike Washington Jr. combined for 110 yards on 24 carries in a Raiders win.
Stopping the Atlanta run game will be a little more difficult for the Saints without Kaden Ellis, Carl Granderson, and Anfernee Jennings in the box.
New Orleans allowed the sixth-most running back rushing yards through three games at 128.7, despite ranking sixth in opponent pass rate over expected.
The league average was 111.7, per Fantasy Points Data.
The Saints also conceded the fifth-highest explosive run rate (15.3%) through three games.
Meanwhile, New Orleans has allowed 4.7 receptions and 36.3 receiving yards per game to opposing running backs.
On the flip side, Saints head coach Kellen Moore will need to rely on Shough and the passing game tonight.
New Orleans ranks 24th in the NFL in running back rushing yards per game (234.0) this season, and will face an Atlanta defence that leads the NFL in running back rushing yards allowed per game (48.0)
Shough has thrown for 917 yards and eight touchdowns, including going 29-for-42 for 255 yards and four TD passes in last week’s loss to Las Vegas.
With rookie first round pick Jordyn Tyson sidelined for a few more weeks, Shough will continue to lean on his star wide receiver Chris Olave tonight.
Olave leads the NFL with 125.0 receiving yards per game this season and was tied for the league lead with 27 receptions entering Week 4.
Devaughn Vele has averaged 57.3 receiving yards per game, with 39 or more in all three contests.
Tight end Juwan Johnson has averaged 5.0 receptions and 57.7 receiving yards per game with three scores.
Atlanta’s secondary was torched in Week 3 by Christian Watson and Matthew Golden, who combined for 196 receiving yards on 12 receptions.
Shough and the Saints will lean on Olave, Vele, and Johnson again tonight, and their performances will determine whether they emerge with a win at home.
For my FanDuel Best Bets, I’ll lock in Olave over 83.5 receiving yards, Johnson over 40.5 receiving yards, and Bijan Robinson over 87.5 rushing yards.
Robinson has cleared 72 or more rushing yards in all three games this season, but context is important.
In Atlanta’s first two games, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Carolina Panthers didn’t have to respect the pass and were able to sell out to stop the run.
Plus in Week 2 versus Carolina, Robinson sat out most of the second half in a blowout loss.
With Penix at quarterback, Robinson exploded for 194 rushing yards and two scores against Green Bay.
Now he gets another primetime game against a Saints defence that has allowed 115.7 running back rushing yards per game and is missing three key defenders.
Give me Robinson over 87.5 rushing yards.
As for the Saints passing attack, Olave has at least eight catches, 86 receiving yards, and 10 targets in all three games this season.
Atlanta has allowed a league-high 201.3 wide receiver receiving yards per game this season.
Vele should be involved again here and is worth a look at 44.5, but I’ll trust the alpha receiver Olave to continue to dominate on Monday Night Football.
Finally, Johnson has cleared 50 or more receiving yards in all three games for New Orleans.
The Falcons have allowed 52.0 receiving yards per game to opposing tight ends, but they’ve faced the Steelers, Panthers, and a Packers team that relied on Tucker Kraft as a blocker to help shore up a leaky offensive line.
Last season, Johnson had six catches for 46 yards in the first meeting versus Atlanta and three catches for 61 yards in the second meeting.
I’ll trust him to clear 41 receiving yards for the third time in as many games this season tonight against the Falcons.
Hopefully, we can end the week with a 3-0 sweep on Monday Night Football.
Have a great day, everyone!
