Falcons Hate Week in full swing

Good morning and welcome to the Saturday edition of the Saints Insider newsletter. We've got the latest chapter of the bitter rivalry between the Saints and Falcons on the docket this weekend. Two teams and fan bases that decidedly don't like each other (even if ... they're more similar than they'd like to admit?). Let's dig in. 

Perpetually Petty

That's how columnist Jeff Duncan described this game. At least from the Saints side of things, the atmosphere in the Saints locker room is always a little different in the lead up to a game against the Falcons, and it's definitely different on game day. 

Of course, there's also what happened in last year's season finale to consider: The Saints crushed the Falcons, and then in one of the lasting images of what this rivalry really represents, the Saints scored a touchdown out of a victory formation. 

Just about everyone was trying to downplay that play and the rivalry itself. Thankfully, Saints defensive end Cam Jordan isn't one of them. 

“I don’t care what they’re (the Falcons) pleased with,” Saints defensive end Cam Jordan said when asked about the play on Thursday. “If you want forgiveness, go to your mother. … I don’t care how they feel.”

Giddy up. 

Mirror images? 

For as much as the Saints don't like the Falcons, and vice versa, the teams are admittedly very similar. 

Beat writer Matthew Paras dove into the two teams here, and why their approaches — from their front office makeup, to their player acquisitions, to the types of offenses they'll run on Sunday — look a lot alike. 

In the news

🗞️ Ouch: The Saints will be without both Demario Davis (hamstring) and Cesar Ruiz (knee) for Sunday's game. 

🗞️ Former Saints DB C.J. Gardner-Johnson was reportedly fined for a late hit out of bounds against Alvin Kamara last week. 

🗞️ Our Saints crew made its predictions for Sunday's game between the Saints and Falcons. We could not reach a consensus this time. 

🗞️ Columnist Rod Walker tackles four burning questions for the matchup, taking a look at the interior of the offensive line. 

That's all we've got! Have a great weekend, y'all. 

Cheers, 

Luke Johnson