THE Atlanta Falcons (6-4) suffered a 20-17 loss to the New Orleans Saints (3-7) Sunday afternoon at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

Atlanta entered Sunday with five wins in its last six games. New Orleans had lost seven straight games and fired head coach Dennis Allen last Monday. But in rivalry games, none of that seemed to matter — and the Falcons were ultimately forced to go home with a feeling of “unease” rooted in remorse.

Here’s who’s up – and down – after Atlanta’s loss.

Bijan Robinson

A season-high 116 rushing yards coupled with 28 receiving yards helped Robinson secure his NFL-best fifth straight game with 100-plus yards from scrimmage.

Robinson is one of only three players to play in seven such games this season, joining Saints running back Alvin Kamara and Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley.

Robinson, 22, scored his fifth and sixth rushing touchdowns of the season on Sunday after totaling just four as a rookie in 2023. Now at 1,079 yards from scrimmage, Robinson is just 384 yards from the 1,463 he compiled last season.

David Onyemata

Atlanta’s defense totaled just two tackles for loss and one quarterback hit Sunday. Onyemata, who played defensive tackle for the Saints from 2016-2022, was responsible for both numbers.

The 6-foot-4, 300-pound Onyemata’s return to New Orleans marked a bright spot in an otherwise difficult campaign. Starting each of Atlanta’s first nine games, Onyemata had totaled just 23 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack and three quarterback hits.

But back where his NFL career began, Onyemata turned in one of his most productive performances this season.

Offensive balance

In the first meeting between the Falcons and Saints, Atlanta failed to score an offensive touchdown. The Falcons’ struggles continued throughout the first quarter of Sunday’s game, as they only amassed 26 yards on nine plays.

But over the final three quarters, Atlanta’s offense came alive — as did a variety of its weapons beyond Robinson.

Receiver Drake London, whose play was questionable due to a hip pointer, caught eight passes for 97 yards. Darnell Mooney, his compatriot, made five receptions for 96 yards. Tight end Kyle Pitts had four catches for 55 yards. Running back Tyler Allgeier had 11 carries for 59 yards.

Robinson aside, the Falcons struggled to convert yards into touchdowns – but imbalance wasn’t the reason.

Younghoe Koo

For the first time in his NFL career, Koo missed three field goals. A 53-yarder started and stayed wide left, a 35-yarder was blocked and a 46-yarder hit the right upright and bounced downfield.

Koo finished the day 1-of-4, with his only score coming in the third quarter from 27 yards, and is now just 2-of-7 over the last four games. He connected on both of his extra point tries.

After the match, Koo accepted responsibility for Atlanta’s loss.

“This match is completely up to me,” Koo said after the match via ESPN’s Marc Raimondi. “I think we played well enough to win the football game, and I let the team down and I don’t take that lightly.”

Rush pass

Barely a week after posting their best performance – three sacks, seven quarterback hits – rushing the passer, the Falcons returned to their old struggles.

Aside from Onyemata, no other Falcon recorded a quarterback hit. Atlanta has now gone four games without a sack and remains last in the NFL with just nine sacks this season.

Offensive line

Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins ​​was sacked three times and hit a total of nine times. On two of his hits he fumbled, one of which resulted in a 20-yard loss on Atlanta’s final offensive drive. It proved to be an insurmountable play on a once-promising drive.

The Falcons offensive line had a solid blocking day, leading the way for 181 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, but Cousins’ white jersey was on the ground more often than anyone would have liked.