The Saints returned to Caesars Superdome for a divisional matchup with the Falcons in a game that carried major energy from the opening kickoff at 4:25 Eastern.

The atmosphere was already electric for a classic Saints and Falcons rivalry game, but it reached another level the moment Drew Brees stepped onto the field. His return brought a wave of energy through the building.

Atlanta struck first when Zane Gonzalez drilled a 56 yard field goal with ten minutes, 47 seconds remaining in the opening quarter.

The kick came after a stalled drive that included a sack of Kirk Cousins on third down, which pushed the Falcons back to the New Orleans 38 and forced them to settle for three.

Even though the drive ended early, Gonzalez delivered the long kick cleanly with Logan McCullough snapping and Bradley Pinion holding.

New Orleans took a major blow when Alvin Kamara went down.

Per ESPN, Kamara appeared to twist his knee as he was tackled by Falcons linebacker Kaden Elliss after making a short catch.

He went straight to the medical tent and was later seen jogging on the sideline to test the injury, but he never returned to the field, leaving the Saints without their most versatile offensive weapon moving forward in the match.

Atlanta added to its lead in the second quarter when Kirk Cousins connected with David Sills for a nine yard touchdown.

Gonzalez followed with the extra point, giving the Falcons a 10 point lead.

But New Orleans answered a few minutes later when Justin Reid jumped a Cousins throw and returned the interception 49 yards for a touchdown.

Blake Grupe tied the score at seven with the extra point.

The Falcons regained momentum again late in the second quarter when Gonzalez converted 41 yard field goal, then closed the half with another strike from 54 yards at the buzzer. His consistency kept Atlanta in control heading into the break.

But the Saints' defense was still keeping the game alive by holding the Falcons in check, just as they had late in the second quarter when Isaiah Stalbird made one of the biggest plays of the day.

Stalbird took a creative path through the formation and came free for his first career sack, dropping Kirk Cousins and giving New Orleans a spark heading into the break.

After halftime, the game stayed exactly where it was before halftime.

The entire third quarter passed without either team putting any points on the board.

A slower quarter series, neither team ever pushed deep enough to threaten a score. 

By the time the third quarter ended, the score remained 16-7 with no change at all, setting up a fourth quarter where one strong possession from either side could swing the entire game.

Starting out the fourth on what seemed like stronger footing, Blake Grupe snagged the Saints a 33 yard field goal.

But with just over eleven minutes remaining, Kirk Cousins found Darnell Mooney on a deep strike down the middle of the field.

Mooney caught it in stride and finished the forty nine yard play for a touchdown. Atlanta immediately pushed the lead even further on the next snap. Bijan Robinson took the two point attempt straight up the middle and powered across the goal line, and the conversion was ruled successful.

Those two plays landed back to back and completely shifted the momentum of the fourth.

The Falcons had been quiet since halftime, but the combination of the long touchdown and the clean run on the conversion gave Atlanta full control.

New Orleans, already without Alvin Kamara after his first quarter knee injury, now faced a deeper hole.

From there, the score was 24-10 and stayed that way to the end. The Saints could not find the spark they needed to climb back into it.

The fourth quarter momentum shift created by the Falcons held firm all the way to the end, leaving New Orleans short handed without Alvin Kamara and unable to close the gap.

The Saints now turn the page and prepare for their next matchup, a meeting with the Dolphins next Sunday at 1:00PM Eastern.