NEW ORLEANS — Atlanta Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo held his hands to his helmet when his would-be tying field goal banged off the right upright with 6 1/2 minutes remaining against a Saints team that hadn't won a game since September. His frustration ...

The Falcons were road favorites in the heated division rivalry after arriving in the Big Easy in first place in the NFC South. The Saints, by contrast, had lost seven straight games and were playing for the first time since firing coach Dennis Allen and replacing him with special teams coach Darren Rizzi on an interim basis.

That was the case for an Atlanta Falcons offense that didn’t change much up but was plagued by miscues, a defense that prioritized stopping the run and largely succeeded while giving up explosive plays,