Alright, Who Dat Nation.

Tony picked the Saints.

I picked them before the season started.

I stuck with them last week.

Monday morning I was talking about Steve Gleason, the Dome, twenty years of memories and how that building was going to erupt when they showed that blocked punt again.

And then the game started.

Falcons 45. Saints 24.

I’ve been sitting here trying to figure out what Tony is supposed to say about this one.

And for once…

I’ve got nothing.

Not because there’s nothing to talk about.

Because there’s almost too damn much.

Of All Nights…

That’s the part that gets me.

Twenty years after one of the greatest nights in the history of that building.

Steve Gleason was there.

Curtis Deloatch was there.

They led the Who Dat chant.

Irma Thomas sang the national anthem just like she did in 2006.

The Dome was ready.

The Who Dat Nation was ready.

And Atlanta came into our building and embarrassed us.

Not Carolina.

Not Tampa.

Atlanta.

On that night.

That’s what makes 45–24 hurt differently.

Three Plays

That’s how long it took.

Atlanta’s third offensive play.

Bijan Robinson.

59 yards. Touchdown.

Seven-nothing.

Before anybody had settled into their seat, Atlanta had punched us in the mouth.

Then it became 14–0.

At halftime?

24–7.

Think about that.

All week we talked about the emotion of 2006.

All week we talked about making the Dome shake again.

Atlanta didn’t care.

They walked into the middle of our celebration and took the air right out of the building.

205 Yards. Five Touchdowns.

Tony usually has questions after a loss.

Why didn’t we kick?

Why did we call that play?

Was that really a fumble?

Where was the ball control?

This week I’ve got a much simpler question:

How in the hell do you let your biggest rival run for FIVE touchdowns in your building?

Atlanta finished with 205 rushing yards.

Bijan Robinson: 145 yards and two touchdowns.

Brian Robinson: 62 yards and three touchdowns.

That’s five rushing touchdowns between two running backs.

At some point, forget schemes.

Forget analytics.

Forget whether you’re playing zone or man.

Somebody has to say:

You’re not running through us anymore.

That never happened.

And Don’t Tell Me the Score Made It Look Worse

No.

The score looked bad because the game was bad.

Atlanta had 420 yards.

New Orleans had 320.

Atlanta never trailed.

The Saints fell behind 14–0 and never got closer than seven.

There was no fourth-quarter heartbreak this time.

There was no controversial call that decided the game.

There was no two-point conversion that almost won it.

There was no if only…

Atlanta beat us.

Period.

I’m Not Putting This All on Shough

Tyler Shough finished:

30 of 48.
286 yards.
1 touchdown.
0 interceptions.

Was it a great night?

No.

Was he the reason we lost 45–24?

Tony doesn’t see it that way.

Chris Olave gave him another big game with 8 catches for 116 yards, including a 44-yarder.

Devaughn Vele caught the touchdown.

Alvin Kamara scored twice on the ground.

There were individual moments.

But this wasn’t an individual-player problem.

This was a team getting beat in its own building problem.

About Those Boos

I heard them.

Everybody heard them.

And apparently Shough did too.

You know what?

Good.

I’m not saying that because I want these guys to fail.

It’s the opposite.

Saints fans filled that building on a Monday night.

They celebrated Gleason.

They remembered 2006.

They showed up for their football team.

And when that football team didn’t show up for them, they let them know about it.

That’s part of playing in New Orleans.

We’ll love you.

We’ll defend you.

We’ll travel with you.

We’ll argue with anybody who comes after you.

But don’t expect us to smile through 45–24 against Atlanta.

Cam Said It Better Than Tony Can

Cam Jordan’s reaction after the game tells you everything you need to know:

“To lose like that… to them… gut punch… sorry New Orleans!”

Then came the part I really liked:

“24 hr rule is dead… WAKE The hell up! get better now.”

There it is.

Don’t spend 24 hours feeling sorry for yourself.

Don’t tell us to be patient.

Don’t tell us there were positives.

Wake the hell up.

Because this team is now 1–3.

Maybe That’s Why Tony Has Nothing

After Detroit, I saw fight.

After Baltimore, I saw progress.

After Las Vegas, I saw a team that had control of a football game and gave it away.

After Atlanta?

I don’t know what I saw.

That’s what bothers me.

Four weeks into this season, what exactly are the New Orleans Saints?

Because Monday night was supposed to tell us something.

Home.

Monday Night Football.

Atlanta.

Twenty-year Domecoming anniversary.

Your biggest rival standing across from you.

If there was ever a night when motivation shouldn’t have been a problem, that was it.

And Atlanta wanted it more.

That’s hard for Tony to swallow.

So Now What?

Minnesota comes to the Dome Sunday.

There isn’t a speech I want to hear this week.

I don’t need somebody telling me practice was good.

I don’t need somebody telling me everybody is staying positive.

I don’t need to hear that it’s a long season.

Show me.

Stop the run.

Protect the football.

Quit digging holes.

Play four quarters.

And for God’s sake, defend your home field.

Because 1–3 can still become something.

But not if what we watched Monday night becomes who this team is.

Tony Was Wrong

I picked the Saints.

I believed the Dome would matter.

I believed the emotion of the night would matter.

I believed this team would understand what Saints-Falcons meant Monday night.

I was wrong.

Completely wrong.

And this time I’m not asking whether the refs screwed us.

I’m not asking whether we should’ve kicked a field goal.

I’m asking something much bigger:

Who are these Saints?

Because after four games, Tony isn’t sure anymore.

Maybe you are.

So tell me.

Am I overreacting to one terrible night?

Was this just one of those games where everything went wrong?

Or did Monday night show us something about this Saints team that we need to start taking seriously?

And here’s the biggest question:

After watching Atlanta beat us 45–24 in our own Dome, what needs to change FIRST?

Defense?

Coaching?

Running game?

Attitude?

Something else?

Tony’s at a loss for words.

So this time, Who Dat Nation, you tell me what needs to be said.

— Tony from the Westbank

WHO DAT.

This Monday night, the Saints take on the Falcons in the Dome — and it’s not just another rivalry game. It’s the anniversary of one of the most legendary moments in Saints history: the blocked punt that shook the Dome back in 2006. Now here’s the thing — I wasn’t alive to see it. I’ve only watched the highlights, heard the stories, and seen how much it meant to the city. But even if I didn’t live it, I know how iconic it was. That play wasn’t just football; it was a symbol of hope and comeback for New Orleans.

Coming off a tough loss, we need to prove we can finish games. Tyler Shough has shown flashes, but consistency is key. meanwhile the falcons are coming off a major win against the packers. Their offense has weapons, but their defense can be exposed if we stay aggressive.

This game is personal. It’s the Falcons. It’s Monday Night Football. It’s the Dome on the anniversary of the blocked punt. The Saints have to show fight, and I think they will.

Final Score Prediction: Saints 31, Falcons 14.

Alright, Who Dat Nation.

I picked this one months ago.

Saints over Atlanta.

And after everything we’ve seen through the first three weeks, I’m not changing it now.

Monday night. Falcons. Saints. Caesars Superdome.

Both teams 1–2. First NFC South game of the season. Atlanta swept us last year. A Saints win would even the all-time regular-season series at 57–57.

That’s already enough to make this a big game.

But Monday night is about something more.

Twenty Years Ago, I Was There

September 25, 2006.

I’ve talked about that night before because it’s impossible for me to think about Saints-Falcons in the Dome without remembering it.

I was there.

New Orleans had been through hell. The Saints hadn’t played in the Superdome since Katrina. Then that building reopened on Monday Night Football against — of all teams — the Atlanta Falcons.

Atlanta lined up to punt early in the first quarter.

And then No. 37 came flying through.

Steve Gleason blocked it.

Curtis Deloatch recovered it in the end zone.

Touchdown Saints.

I’ve been to a lot of Saints games.

I’ve heard that Dome loud plenty of times.

But that moment was different.

It wasn’t just cheering.

It felt like an explosion.

For one moment, everything New Orleans had been through came pouring out of 70,000 people at the same time.

And twenty years later, we’re going to see it again Monday night.

They’re going to show that block on those giant screens.

They’re going to show Gleason.

They’re going to show that crowd from 2006 losing its damn mind.

And when they do?

That Dome is going to ERUPT.

I don’t care whether you were sitting there twenty years ago or weren’t even born yet.

You’re going to feel it.

And if I’m wearing a Saints uniform Monday night, I’m watching that replay and thinking one thing:

We aren’t losing to Atlanta in this building tonight.

Now Make Your Own Memory

That’s my challenge to this Saints team.

Honor 2006.

Celebrate Gleason.

Remember what that night meant to this city.

But then go make your own moment.

This team is 1–2. Atlanta is 1–2.

Nobody needs to explain what 1–3 would mean.

And nobody wearing black and gold needs an explanation of what beating Atlanta means.

The Raiders game is over.

Forget the turnovers.

Forget the controversial call.

Forget the fourth-quarter collapse.

You can’t change any of it.

But you damn sure can decide what happens next.

Tony Picked This One Months Ago

Before the season, I went through every game.

When I got to Atlanta in the Dome?

WIN.

I didn’t need much time to think about it then.

I don’t need much time now.

I’m sticking with it.

Monday night isn’t about what happened against Detroit, Baltimore or Las Vegas.

It’s Saints-Falcons.

It’s the Dome.

It’s Monday Night Football.

It’s the 20th anniversary of one of the greatest moments that building has ever witnessed.

And it’s an opportunity to get to 2–2, start NFC South play 1–0, and remind Atlanta what that building sounds like when the Who Dat Nation has something to scream about.

Twenty years ago, No. 37 came through that line and changed the feeling of an entire city with one blocked punt.

Monday night, when they roll that replay…

Stand up.

Get loud.

Let those Falcons hear what twenty years of that memory sounds like.

And then let’s make another one.

Tony picked the Saints months ago.

Tony’s sticking with the Saints.

Beat Atlanta.

WHO DAT!

— Tony from the Westbank