The Falcons’ bid to end their five-game losing streak is off to a good start on Sunday afternoon.
Kirk Cousins threw a touchdown pass to wide receiver David Sills and the Falcons defense kept the Saints offense from putting any points on the board in the first half. Atlanta also got three field goals from Zane Gonzalez and lead the Saints 16-7 at halftime at the Superdome in New Orleans.
Cousins is 14-of-20 for 118 yards and also had an interception when a pass to tight end Kyle Pitts was deflected into the hands of Saints safety Justin Reid. Reid took the ball back 49 yards for the only Saints points of the opening 30 minutes. Cousins, who is starting in place of the injured Michael Penix, has completed passes to seven players with wide receiver Drake London out of the lineup and little-used players like Sills, Dylan Drummond and Charlie Woerner have factored into the offensive mix.
Saints running back Alvin Kamara lost a fumble on the team’s first offensive possession and then left with a knee injury later in the first half. That’s not going to help the Saints’ ability to mount a comeback, although the game would look a lot closer if not for a pair of missed field goals by Blake Grupe.
The Saints will get the ball to start the second half, so they’ll have a chance to cut into the lead before the Falcons have a chance to extend it.