2006 Week 3: Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints at Louisiana Superdome. Kickoff time: 8:48pm.
2006 Week 3: Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints at Louisiana Superdome. This is a regular-season game that earned its place on a curated list, which means the matchup itself carried some weight beyond a generic Sunday. Some regular-season games stick in the memory more than the playoff games of the same era. The names attached to Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints in 2006, the implications for division standing, or just the moment one play crystallized the season, made this one of those. Watch the early possessions for the read. Coaches treat curated-list games as their best stretches of preparation; the answers come quickly when the stakes are tangible.
2006 Week 3: Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints meet at a midpoint in the season, with the rest of the 2006 field watching to see how the result reshapes the conference standings. Around the league, the scouting departments take careful notes on regular-season games featuring contenders. The film here will be reviewed long after the final whistle by staffs who plan to face one or both of these teams later in the year.
2006 Week 3: Atlanta Falcons versus New Orleans Saints. Midseason analytics shift around what matters most on any given Sunday: takeaway differential and red-zone conversion lead the indicator list for both contenders and the teams hunting them. The on-screen scoreboard tells one story; the underlying drive efficiency tells the more durable one. Both staffs know which numbers travel through December and which evaporate after a hot start.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots | 12-4 | W3 |
| New York Jets | 10-6 | W3 |
| Buffalo Bills | 7-9 | L2 |
| Miami Dolphins | 6-10 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Ravens | 13-3 | W4 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 8-8 | L3 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 8-8 | W1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 4-12 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Colts | 12-4 | W1 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 8-8 | L3 |
| Tennessee Titans | 8-8 | L1 |
| Houston Texans | 6-10 | W2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego Chargers | 14-2 | W10 |
| Denver Broncos | 9-7 | L1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 9-7 | W2 |
| Oakland Raiders | 2-14 | L9 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle Seahawks | 9-7 | W1 |
| St. Louis Rams | 8-8 | W3 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 7-9 | W1 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 5-11 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Eagles | 10-6 | W5 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 9-7 | L2 |
| New York Giants | 8-8 | W1 |
| Washington Redskins | 5-11 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 13-3 | L1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 8-8 | W4 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 6-10 | L3 |
| Detroit Lions | 3-13 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New Orleans Saints | 10-6 | L1 |
| Carolina Panthers | 8-8 | W2 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 7-9 | L3 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 4-12 | L1 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Falcons | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33333 |
| New Orleans Saints | 14 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1420232323 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Saints | Curtis DeLoatch blocked punt recovery in end zone ( John Carney kick) | 0-7 |
| Falcons | Morten Andersen 26 yard field goal | 3-7 |
| Saints | Devery Henderson 11 yard rush ( John Carney kick) | 3-14 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Saints | John Carney 37 yard field goal | 3-17 |
| Saints | John Carney 51 yard field goal | 3-20 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Saints | John Carney 20 yard field goal | 3-23 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| No scoring this quarter. | ||
| Falcons | Saints | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 10 | 19 |
| Total Yards | 229 | 326 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 0 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 12/31 | 20/28 |
| Pass yards | 137 | 191 |
| Pass TD | 0 | 0 |
| Interceptions | 0 | 0 |
| Sacks taken | 5 | 1 |
| Sack yards lost | 25 | 11 |
| Net pass yards | 112 | 180 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 23 | 34 |
| Rush yards | 117 | 146 |
| Rush TD | 0 | 1 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 2 | 0 |
| Fumbles lost | 0 | 0 |
| Penalties | 5 | 4 |
| Penalty yards | 43 | 40 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATL | |||||
| Michael Vick | 12/31 | 137 | 0 | 0 | |
| NOR | |||||
| Drew Brees | 20/28 | 191 | 0 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATL | ||||
| Michael Vick | 6 | 57 | 0 | 30 |
| Warrick Dunn | 13 | 44 | 0 | 13 |
| Justin Griffith | 3 | 16 | 0 | 10 |
| Jerious Norwood | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| NOR | ||||
| Deuce McAllister | 19 | 81 | 0 | 22 |
| Reggie Bush | 13 | 53 | 0 | 13 |
| Devery Henderson | 1 | 11 | 1 | 11 |
| Drew Brees | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATL | ||||
| Alge Crumpler | 5 | 49 | 0 | 17 |
| Ashley Lelie | 1 | 48 | 0 | 48 |
| Michael Jenkins | 2 | 23 | 0 | 15 |
| Justin Griffith | 2 | 15 | 0 | 11 |
| Warrick Dunn | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| NOR | ||||
| Marques Colston | 7 | 97 | 0 | 29 |
| Joe Horn | 3 | 47 | 0 | 19 |
| Reggie Bush | 4 | 19 | 0 | 9 |
| Devery Henderson | 2 | 15 | 0 | 14 |
| Deuce McAllister | 4 | 13 | 0 | 7 |
New Orleans Saints defeated Atlanta Falcons 23-3 at Louisiana Superdome in Week 3. The final scoring play was Saints: John Carney 20 yard field goal. Top line of the day: Drew Brees: 191 pass yards on 20-of-28, 0 TD, 0 INT.
New Orleans Saints walked out of Louisiana Superdome with a 23-3 Week 3 result Atlanta Falcons will replay all the way to the offseason. The final scoring play came from Saints: John Carney 20 yard field goal. Whether it was the game-decider or just the period at the end of the sentence depends on what the camera caught earlier.
New Orleans Saints 23, Atlanta Falcons 3. Game: 2006 Week 3. Attendance: 70003. Q1: 3 scoring plays. Q2: 2 scoring plays. Q3: 1 scoring play. Top performers: - Drew Brees: 191 pass yards on 20-of-28, 0 TD, 0 INT - Deuce McAllister: 81 rush yards on 19 carries - Marques Colston: 7 catches for 97 yards
Week 3, played at Louisiana Superdome. Final: Atlanta Falcons 3, New Orleans Saints 23, with New Orleans Saints taking the result by 20. **First quarter**
- Saints: Curtis DeLoatch blocked punt recovery in end zone ( John Carney kick) - Falcons: Morten Andersen 26 yard field goal - Saints: Devery Henderson 11 yard rush ( John Carney kick)
**Second quarter**
- Saints: John Carney 37 yard field goal - Saints: John Carney 51 yard field goal
**Third quarter**
- Saints: John Carney 20 yard field goal
**Top performers**
- Drew Brees: 191 pass yards on 20-of-28, 0 TD, 0 INT - Deuce McAllister: 81 rush yards on 19 carries - Marques Colston: 7 catches for 97 yards