Atlanta Falcons (3-7) @ New Orleans Saints (2-8)
Sunday, November 23, 4:25 PM ET
Somebody had to compete with the Browns and Raiders to be playing the worst game of the week, and here is your top contender. The New Orleans Saints will be coming off of a bye week to face off against the Atlanta Falcons, whose starting quarterback will be Kirk Cousins for the remainder of the season.
Starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is dealing with another major knee injury that just ended his season, a huge concern for the long-term outlook of the Falcons because Penix came into the NFL with major concerns about his knees. The Falcons determined he was still worth the 1st-round investment, and now they’re looking at a long road to recovery for Penix with no first-round pick to work with in 2026.
And it doesn’t seem Kirk Cousins is going to come in and right the ship, but with a full week of preparation to get ready for the Saints (and a ton of weapons at his disposal), you never know. The advantage of having a bye week isn’t exactly “lost” on the Saints, but it seems to play better for teams with veteran coaches and quarterbacks.
It’ll be interesting to see how the second half of the season goes for Saints quarterback Tyler Shough, and whether or not he can keep building on the solid performance he had just before the bye week.
Prediction: Falcons win 27-20