New Orleans Saints vs. Atlanta Falcons: 2022 Week 1 Recap

Game story

In Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season on 2022-09-11, the New Orleans Saints took care of business against the Atlanta Falcons, pulling away with a 27–26 final that came down to the wire.

The highest-scoring period was Q4 with 20 combined points — the stretch that most shaped the final margin.

J. Winston (New Orleans Saints) paced the passing game, with +0.23 total EPA, and +7.2% completion percentage over expected.

On the individual side, T. Hill (New Orleans Saints) delivered the top overall EPA impact at +7.01 — the clearest player-of-the-game signal on the analytics sheet.

The momentum swing (-45.5% win probability) landed in the fourth quarter when Atlanta Falcons changed the game: (:02) 7-Y.Koo 63 yard field goal is BLOCKED (98-P.Turner), Center-48-L.McCullough, Holder-13-B.Pinion, recovered by ATL-13-B.Pinion at ATL 49. 13-B.Pinion to 50 for 1 yard (53-Z.Baun, 48-J.Gray).

Line score

Final score and points by quarter.

Stars of the game

Top performers by total expected points added (EPA) across passing, rushing, and receiving.

1. 1 T. Hill · New Orleans Saints · Rushing · +7.01 total EPA · 4 snaps · +1.75 EPA/play
2. 2 M. Thomas · New Orleans Saints · Receiving · +4.78 total EPA · 8 snaps · +0.60 EPA/play
3. 3 C. Olave · New Orleans Saints · Receiving · +4.68 total EPA · 4 snaps · +1.17 EPA/play
4. 4 J. Landry · New Orleans Saints · Receiving · +4.50 total EPA · 9 snaps · +0.50 EPA/play
5. 5 D. London · Atlanta Falcons · Receiving · +4.13 total EPA · 7 snaps · +0.59 EPA/play
6. 6 M. Mariota · Atlanta Falcons · Passing · +1.79 total EPA · 39 snaps · +0.05 EPA/play
7. 7 K. Hodge · Atlanta Falcons · Receiving · +1.72 total EPA · 3 snaps · +0.57 EPA/play
8. 8 M. Ingram · New Orleans Saints · Rushing · +1.32 total EPA · 5 snaps · +0.26 EPA/play

Player of the game

FantasyHQ analytics player-of-the-game pick based on total EPA and signature plays.

Who scored touchdowns and field goals

Every touchdown and field goal with the player named in official play-by-play.

Touchdowns

• New Orleans Saints — T. Hill (Q1 50:51)
• Atlanta Falcons — C. Patterson (Q2 42:17)
• Atlanta Falcons — M. Mariota (Q3 21:52)
• New Orleans Saints — M. Thomas (J. Winston pass) (Q4 11:16)
• New Orleans Saints — M. Thomas (J. Winston pass) (Q4 3:42)

Field goals

• Atlanta Falcons — Y. Koo (Q1 55:44)
• Atlanta Falcons — Y. Koo (Q2 31:10)
• Atlanta Falcons — Y. Koo (Q2 30:03)
• New Orleans Saints — W. Lutz (Q3 24:20)
• Atlanta Falcons — Y. Koo (Q4 12:45)
• New Orleans Saints — W. Lutz (Q4 0:23)

How it unfolded, quarter by quarter

A quarter-by-quarter recap built from live scoring plays and play descriptions.

The opening quarter: New Orleans Saints won the period 7–3. Atlanta Falcons connected on a field goal from the NO 35 (Q1 55:44) — (10:44) 7-Y.Koo 54 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-L.McCullough, Holder-13-B.Pinion.; New Orleans Saints found the end zone from the ATL 11 (Q1 50:51) — (5:51) (Shotgun) 7-T.Hill right end for 11 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; New Orleans Saints added 1 points from the ATL 20 (Q1 50:44) — 3-W.Lutz extra point is GOOD, Center-49-Z.Wood, Holder-4-B.Gillikin..

The second quarter: Atlanta Falcons won the period 13–0. Atlanta Falcons found the end zone from the NO 5 (Q2 42:17) — (12:17) 84-C.Patterson up the middle for 5 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Atlanta Falcons added 1 points from the NO 15 (Q2 42:12) — 7-Y.Koo extra point is GOOD, Center-48-L.McCullough, Holder-13-B.Pinion.; Atlanta Falcons connected on a field goal from the NO 32 (Q2 31:10) — (1:10) 7-Y.Koo 50 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-L.McCullough, Holder-13-B.Pinion.; Atlanta Falcons connected on a field goal from the NO 22 (Q2 30:03) — (:03) 7-Y.Koo 40 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-L.McCullough, Holder-13-B.Pinion..

The third quarter: Atlanta Falcons won the period 7–3. New Orleans Saints connected on a field goal from the ATL 31 (Q3 24:20) — (9:20) 3-W.Lutz 49 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-49-Z.Wood, Holder-4-B.Gillikin.; Atlanta Falcons found the end zone from the NO 2 (Q3 21:52) — (6:52) 66-C.Gossett reported in as eligible. 1-M.Mariota up the middle for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Atlanta Falcons added 1 points from the NO 15 (Q3 21:49) — 7-Y.Koo extra point is GOOD, Center-48-L.McCullough, Holder-13-B.Pinion..

The fourth quarter: New Orleans Saints won the period 17–3. Atlanta Falcons connected on a field goal from the NO 9 (Q4 12:45) — (12:45) 7-Y.Koo 27 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-L.McCullough, Holder-13-B.Pinion.; New Orleans Saints found the end zone from the ATL 3 (Q4 11:16) — (11:16) (No Huddle, Shotgun) 2-J.Winston pass short left to 13-M.Thomas for 3 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; New Orleans Saints registered a safety from the ATL 2 (Q4 11:12) — TWO-POINT CONVERSION ATTEMPT. 2-J.Winston pass to 12-C.Olave is complete. ATTEMPT SUCCEEDS.; New Orleans Saints found the end zone from the ATL 9 (Q4 3:42) — (3:42) (No Huddle, Shotgun) 2-J.Winston pass short left to 13-M.Thomas for 9 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; New Orleans Saints connected on a field goal from the ATL 33 (Q4 0:23) — (:23) 3-W.Lutz 51 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-49-Z.Wood, Holder-4-B.Gillikin..

Turning points

Plays that moved win probability the most — the swings that decided the game.

• Atlanta Falcons (Q4 0:02) — (:02) 7-Y.Koo 63 yard field goal is BLOCKED (98-P.Turner), Center-48-L.McCullough, Holder-13-B.Pinion, recovered by ATL-13-B.Pinion at ATL 49. 13-B.Pinion to 50 for 1 yard (53-Z.Baun, 48-J.Gray). [WPA -45.5% · EPA -1.44]
• New Orleans Saints (Q4 0:48) — (:48) (Shotgun) 2-J.Winston pass deep left to 5-J.Landry ran ob at ATL 40 for 40 yards (27-R.Grant). [WPA +23.8% · EPA +2.13]
• New Orleans Saints (Q4 0:23) — (:23) 3-W.Lutz 51 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-49-Z.Wood, Holder-4-B.Gillikin. [WPA +19.7% · EPA +1.04]
• Atlanta Falcons (Q4 0:54) — (:54) 13-B.Pinion punts 37 yards to NO 10, Center-48-L.McCullough, fair catch by 11-D.Harty. PENALTY on ATL-48-L.McCullough, Offensive Holding, 10 yards, enforced at NO 10. [WPA -17.5% · EPA -0.27]
• New Orleans Saints (Q4 0:38) — (:38) (Shotgun) 2-J.Winston pass deep middle to 83-J.Johnson to ATL 33 for 17 yards (32-J.Hawkins). [WPA +15.2% · EPA +1.40]

Impact plays

Highest expected-points added snaps that flipped field position and scoring chances.

• New Orleans Saints (Q3 20:23) — (5:23) (Shotgun) 2-J.Winston pass short right to 22-M.Ingram to NO 45 for 1 yard (32-J.Hawkins, 3-M.Walker) [95-T.Graham]. FUMBLES (3-M.Walker), RECOVERED by ATL-54-R.Evans at NO 46. 54-R.Evans to NO [WPA -5.4% · EPA -4.83]
• Atlanta Falcons (Q1 50:44) — (5:44) 1-M.Mariota pass deep right to 17-O.Zaccheaus to ATL 47 for 22 yards (20-P.Werner). FUMBLES (20-P.Werner), touched at ATL 47, RECOVERED by NO-21-B.Roby at ATL 45. 21-B.Roby to ATL 43 for 2 yard [WPA -11.3% · EPA -4.51]
• Atlanta Falcons (Q3 18:23) — (3:23) (No Huddle, Shotgun) 1-M.Mariota scrambles left end to NO 5 for 9 yards (32-T.Mathieu, 6-M.Maye). FUMBLES (6-M.Maye), RECOVERED by NO-32-T.Mathieu at NO 5. [WPA -1.4% · EPA -4.21]
• New Orleans Saints (Q1 47:46) — (2:46) 3-W.Lutz 44 yard field goal is No Good, Hit Left Upright, Center-49-Z.Wood, Holder-4-B.Gillikin. [WPA -9.8% · EPA -4.11]

Quarterback report card

J.Winston led all passers in efficiency for New Orleans Saints, setting the tone in the passing game according to FantasyHQ analytics.

• J.Winston (New Orleans Saints) · 40 dropbacks · 57.5% completion · +7.2% CPOE · +0.01 EPA/play · +0.23 total EPA
• M.Mariota (Atlanta Falcons) · 39 dropbacks · 51.3% completion · -6.9% CPOE · +0.05 EPA/play · +1.79 total EPA

Team stats comparison

Side-by-side offensive and defensive efficiency from FantasyHQ analytics.

By the numbers

Both offenses finished within striking distance on EPA per play (New Orleans Saints +0.04, Atlanta Falcons +0.01) — a true toss-up on the analytics sheet.

• Atlanta Falcons: 13 drives, +1.17 total EPA, 6 scoring drives
• New Orleans Saints: 12 drives, +3.16 total EPA, 5 scoring drives

Key takeaways

What to remember for fantasy research, film review, and follow-up box score digging.

• New Orleans Saints leaves with the win and the better postgame narrative for Week-to-week momentum.
• One-score margin — fantasy managers should double-check garbage-time stats before drawing conclusions.
• T. Hill (New Orleans Saints) is the first name to pull up for highlight reels and prop-retrospective research.
• J. Winston (NO) beat expectation through the air — positive CPOE game for stack builds.
• M. Mariota (ATL) finished below expected efficiency — volume may have masked accuracy issues.

Every scoring play

Chronological scoring with field position and full play-by-play context.

1. Atlanta Falcons FG (+3) — Q1 55:44 · NO 35 · Score 0-3
   (10:44) 7-Y.Koo 54 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-L.McCullough, Holder-13-B.Pinion.
2. New Orleans Saints TD (+6) — Q1 50:51 · ATL 11 · Score 6-3
   (5:51) (Shotgun) 7-T.Hill right end for 11 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
3. New Orleans Saints XP (+1) — Q1 50:44 · ATL 20 · Score 7-3
   3-W.Lutz extra point is GOOD, Center-49-Z.Wood, Holder-4-B.Gillikin.
4. Atlanta Falcons TD (+6) — Q2 42:17 · NO 5 · Score 7-9
   (12:17) 84-C.Patterson up the middle for 5 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
5. Atlanta Falcons XP (+1) — Q2 42:12 · NO 15 · Score 7-10
   7-Y.Koo extra point is GOOD, Center-48-L.McCullough, Holder-13-B.Pinion.
6. Atlanta Falcons FG (+3) — Q2 31:10 · NO 32 · Score 7-13
   (1:10) 7-Y.Koo 50 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-L.McCullough, Holder-13-B.Pinion.
7. Atlanta Falcons FG (+3) — Q2 30:03 · NO 22 · Score 7-16
   (:03) 7-Y.Koo 40 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-L.McCullough, Holder-13-B.Pinion.
8. New Orleans Saints FG (+3) — Q3 24:20 · ATL 31 · Score 10-16
   (9:20) 3-W.Lutz 49 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-49-Z.Wood, Holder-4-B.Gillikin.
9. Atlanta Falcons TD (+6) — Q3 21:52 · NO 2 · Score 10-22
   (6:52) 66-C.Gossett reported in as eligible. 1-M.Mariota up the middle for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
10. Atlanta Falcons XP (+1) — Q3 21:49 · NO 15 · Score 10-23
    7-Y.Koo extra point is GOOD, Center-48-L.McCullough, Holder-13-B.Pinion.
11. Atlanta Falcons FG (+3) — Q4 12:45 · NO 9 · Score 10-26
    (12:45) 7-Y.Koo 27 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-L.McCullough, Holder-13-B.Pinion.
12. New Orleans Saints TD (+6) — Q4 11:16 · ATL 3 · Score 16-26
    (11:16) (No Huddle, Shotgun) 2-J.Winston pass short left to 13-M.Thomas for 3 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
13. New Orleans Saints Safety (+2) — Q4 11:12 · ATL 2 · Score 18-26
    TWO-POINT CONVERSION ATTEMPT. 2-J.Winston pass to 12-C.Olave is complete. ATTEMPT SUCCEEDS.
14. New Orleans Saints TD (+6) — Q4 3:42 · ATL 9 · Score 24-26
    (3:42) (No Huddle, Shotgun) 2-J.Winston pass short left to 13-M.Thomas for 9 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
15. New Orleans Saints FG (+3) — Q4 0:23 · ATL 33 · Score 27-26
    (:23) 3-W.Lutz 51 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-49-Z.Wood, Holder-4-B.Gillikin.