Ups and downs from Saints vs. Falcons

The New Orleans Saints upset the NFC South favorite Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. The Saints were losers of seven straight and desperately needed a win after firing head coach Dennis Allen after two and a half seasons. While the win was exciting in many ways, New Orleans is far from contenders and there is plenty to work on.

Up: Marquez Valdes-Scantling

Newly signed wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling exploded for the Saints during his home debut catching 3 passes for 109 yards and 2 touchdowns. New Orleans needed a receiver to step up for them after stars Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed had suffered injuries. During Scantling’s first touchdown pass, the veteran speedster got behind All-Pro defensive backs A.J. Terrell and Jessie Bates for a 40-year score. On the next drive, Carr and Scantling would connect again for a 67-yard gain. Carr would throw the veteran receiver’s way one more time, connecting with him for their second touchdown of the day. Valdes-Scantling has been around the league and has had successful seasons before. With the Saints being without their top receivers for potentially the rest of the season, a reliable veteran is the perfect addition to the team.

Up: Darren Rizzi

Interim head coach Darren Rizzi has had fans in the locker room way before he was selected to take over for Dennis Allen. As the special teams coordinator, he is one of the only coaches who will have a relationship with every player. He is well-liked in the building and getting the nod for the head coach was celebrated in the locker room with players wearing “Merry Rizzmas” t-shirts. But all of this hype and support doesn't mean anything if the team continues to lose. In Rizzi’s debut, the Saints ended their seven-game losing streak with an exciting win over their biggest rivals. Rizzi has a lot more to prove if he wants the chance to earn the permanent head coaching job, but a big win and player support is a great start.

Down: Alontae Taylor

The Saints traded away All-Pro cornerback Marshon Lattimore after eight seasons at the trade deadline. New Orleans is likely entering a rebuilding period and were looking to get trade capital ahead of it. While losing a player of Lattimore’s caliber is a big hit to the team, New Orleans was likely more willing to part ways with the veteran after a solid season from third-year cornerback Alontae Taylor. Taylor has been the best defensive back for the Saints through the mid-season point including accumulating four sacks.

Despite Taylor’s pretty successful season so far, he struggled heavily against the Falcons. Taylor was called for two pass interferences and a holding penalty. Along with the three big penalties, Taylor was picked on by veteran Kirk Cousins. The young cornerback was in a good position for a chunk of plays, but even better plays were made by the talented Falcons receivers. With the Saints parting ways with a former All-Pro they would've hoped for a more promising performance from the young corner.