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If you like your Week 18 with a side of heartburn, Mercedes‑Benz Stadium delivered. Atlanta punched first on special teams — a blocked punt set up shop in the red zone, and two snaps later Drake London cashed a 15‑yard TD from Kirk Cousins. From there it was a field‑position fistfight: sacks flying, drives stalling, and the Falcons nudging the scoreboard with kicks to keep the Saints at arm’s length in a 19–17 grinder. (espn.com)

New Orleans kept swinging behind rookie spark plug Tyler Shough — 23/35, 259 yards, 1 TD through the air plus 34 rushing yards and a goal‑line sneak — with Audric Estimé grinding out 21 carries for 63 and snagging 5 for 43 as a safety valve. But the hinge of the day came late: with the Saints driving after a sprint‑out heater (that 29‑yard Shough burst), Dee Alford jumped a ball and ripped a 59‑yard return the other way, teeing up another Falcons three. That pick flipped the script — then Zane Gonzalez kept writing the ending. (espn.com)

Cousins managed it cool — 18/32, 180 yards, 1 TD — while his dudes did the dirty work: London popped 4 for 78 and the score, Kyle Pitts moved chains (6 for 58), and the pass rush cooked up timely havoc, including a back‑to‑back third‑quarter duet from James Pearce Jr. to snuff a Saints march. Even after Ronnie Bell’s late 16‑yard TD and a flurry from Dante Pettis down the stretch, Atlanta handled the onside kick and kneeled it out, letting the dome exhale. Final: Falcons 19, Saints 17. (espn.com)

Big picture nugget before we hit the locker room: the win pushed Atlanta to 8–9, but the tiebreakers smiled on Carolina — the Panthers clinched the NFC South thanks to this very result. Wild, but true. (nfl.com)

Big Dill of the Game: Zane Gonzalez — 4/4 FGs (long 51), 1/1 PAT, 13 points. When ball games get tight, kickers become closers, and Zane slammed the door. I’m Dillon “Big Dill” Smith, and that’s a big dill — catch you next snap!