A New Twist to the Underrated Falcons And Saints Rivalry

With Matt Ryan off to Indianapolis, the Atlanta Falcons have a new quarterback and a new rivalry with the New Orleans Saints.

For more than a decade, the divisional rivalry between the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints was highlighted by the play of a pair of prolific signal-callers. Drew Brees was a member of the latter for 15 seasons and led the franchise to numerous playoff appearances, including a Super Bowl title in 2009.

Matt Ryan was the third overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft by the Falcons. He has been a steady performer throughout his career. The four-time Pro Bowler was the NFL MVP in 2016 and Atlanta reached Super Bowl LI. There were numerous head-to-head battle between the two quarterbacks. More times than not, the Saints got the best of things.

But Brees retired after the 2020 season and is now in the television business. Ryan is no longer with the Falcons, having been traded by the club to the Indianapolis Colts for a third-round pick in April.

Lo and behold, there’s a new chapter when it comes to the longtime rivalry between these teams. But it comes with an old storyline.

Old College Rivals

Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston won the Heisman Trophy in 2013 and led Jimbo Fisher’s Seminoles to a national championship. In 2014, University of Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota won a Heisman as well. And in the 2015 Rose Bowl, the Ducks dethroned the then-defending national champion Seminoles, 59-20, in the college football playoffs.

As it turned out, they would become the first (Winston) and second (Mariota) overall picks in the 2015 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tennessee Titans, respectively.

Thanks to the NFL schedule makers, the pair square off on the first Sunday of the 2015 NFL season. It proved to be a very long afternoon for the home-standing Bucs and Winston in general. He threw for 210 yards and two scores but was sacked four times and one of his two picks were returned for a score. Mariota threw for 209 yards and four touchdowns without a turnover. Tennessee owned a 21-0 first-quarter lead and won going away, 42-14.

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A New Chapter

But it’s been quite the NFL offseason. Suddenly, these two well-traveled quarterbacks figure to see each other more frequently. This past season, Winston (who signed with New Orleans in 2020) was the starter for the Saints in the team’s first seven games. He hit on 59.0 percent of his throws for 1,170 yards. Winston served up 14 scores and was picked off just three times. There was only one lost fumble as New Orleans forged a 5-2 record.

But in a Week 8 clash with the Buccaneers, he suffered a season-ending knee injury. Earlier this month, the Saints re-signed the seven-year pro to a two-year, $28 million deal.

After five years with the Titans (who would trade for Ryan Tannehill in 2019), Mariota signed a two-year deal with the Raiders. After trading Ryan to the Colts, the Falcons added Mariota via a two-year deal in March.

It’s not Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning. But Jameis Winston vs. Marcus Mariota could wind up being a very fascinating watch the next few years.