Event of the Day: New Orleans Saints v Atlanta Falcons

Our event of the day is the NFL game between the New Orleans Saints and the Atlanta Falcons at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. The playoff picture currently sees three out of the four teams from the league’s most exciting and strongest division – the NFC South – in the wild card round. The penultimate weekend of the regular season could resolve some matters, but also complicate them further. New Orleans currently sit in first position with the Carolina Panthers in second, both with matching 10-4 records, and Atlanta are just one game back with a 9-5 record. This fixture will have a huge say in who is the home team in the wild card playoff round.

The Saints beat the New York Jets at home on Sunday (31-19), while the Falcons came on top away to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night (24-21) – their fifth win in the last six matches. Just two weeks ago, Atlanta were victorious in a tight game at home against New Orleans (20-17), thanks to a last quarter turnaround. This was their third triumph in a row against their division rivals. The Saints have the league’s best offense, impressively led by quarterback Drew Brees, who’s completed passes for 3850 yards so far – the fourth best in the league. On the other side, Falcons’ quarterback Matt Ryan has the perfect target in Julio Jones, the third best wide receiver in the NFL this season with 1215 receiving yards. With the fate of the NFC South at stake, this is set-up to be a thrilling clash at the New Orleans’ Superdome.

 

Honourable mentions around the globe go to the 3rd T20 match between India and Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. India have won the first two games played in Cuttack and Indore, as well as coming out on top in both the Test and ODI series previously. There are more top level NFL duels today, with the Kansas City Chiefs taking on the Miami Dolphins at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. The Tennessee Titans host the Los Angeles Rams at the Nissan Stadium in Nashville, while the Dallas Cowboys face the Seattle Seahawks at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington. In Premiership Rugby, Leicester Tigers are up against Saracens at Welford Road Stadium in Leicester. In the Eredivisie, second-placed Ajax welcome Willem II, 14th in the table, to the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam.

 

Whatever you’re watching, enjoy!

 

Fixture

 

Photos by NFL