The playoffs matchup pairs the Atlanta Falcons against the New Orleans Saints on 1979-09-02 at Louisiana Superdome. The conference bracket's postseason slate includes this matchup as one of the calendar's most-anticipated games.
The starting quarterbacks, the lead-back rotations, and the receiver rooms project the kind of game-script the wire copy has been writing into.[1]
The playoffs game between the Atlanta Falcons and the New Orleans Saints is the kind of postseason matchup where the conference's projected leaders carry their regular-season pacing into the bracket. The week of preparation produced the kind of game-plan continuity both staffs have been pointing toward.
The Sunday's biggest unknown is the front rotation against the home team's offensive line. The bracket continues for the winner.
Around the conference the playoffs bracket produces the kind of matchups the wire copy has been writing into across the postseason slate. The Atlanta Falcons versus New Orleans Saints game is one of the calendar's most-anticipated postseason windows.
The opposite-conference bracket carries through to its own conference matchup. Around the conference the slate continues to clarify the playoff seeding picture across the closing weeks.
Across the regular season both the Atlanta Falcons and the New Orleans Saints tracked the kind of pace that anchored their conference seeding into the playoffs. The starting quarterbacks' passing lines came through. The lead backs' rushing workloads were the staffs' projected calls. Vegas opens the lines accordingly. A figure to follow: the front rotations' pass-rush production.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals | 0-0 | -- |
| Cleveland Browns | 0-0 | -- |
| Houston Oilers | 0-0 | -- |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | 0-0 | -- |
| Baltimore Colts | 0-0 | -- |
| Miami Dolphins | 0-0 | -- |
| New England Patriots | 0-0 | -- |
| New York Jets | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 0-0 | -- |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 0-0 | -- |
| Oakland Raiders | 0-0 | -- |
| San Diego Chargers | 0-0 | -- |
| Seattle Seahawks | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Falcons | 0-0 | -- |
| Los Angeles Rams | 0-0 | -- |
| New Orleans Saints | 0-0 | -- |
| San Francisco 49ers | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 0-0 | -- |
| Detroit Lions | 0-0 | -- |
| Green Bay Packers | 0-0 | -- |
| Minnesota Vikings | 0-0 | -- |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 0-0 | -- |
| New York Giants | 0-0 | -- |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 0-0 | -- |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 0-0 | -- |
| Washington Redskins | 0-0 | -- |
Atlanta Falcons 0, New Orleans Saints 7Atlanta Falcons 20, New Orleans Saints 28Atlanta Falcons 27, New Orleans Saints 31Atlanta Falcons 34, New Orleans Saints 34Atlanta Falcons 34, New Orleans Saints 34[1]
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Falcons | 0 | 20 | 7 | 7 | 020273440 |
| New Orleans Saints | 7 | 21 | 3 | 3 | 728313434 |
Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Saints | Ike Harris 5 yard pass from Archie Manning ( Russell Erxleben kick) | 0-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Saints | Wes Chandler 40 yard pass from Chuck Muncie ( Russell Erxleben kick) | 0-14 |
| Falcons | Tim Mazzetti 27 yard field goal | 3-14 |
| Falcons | Alfred Jenkins 20 yard pass from Steve Bartkowski ( Tim Mazzetti kick) | 10-14 |
| Saints | Chuck Muncie 69 yard rush ( Russell Erxleben kick) | 10-21 |
| Falcons | Wallace Francis 20 yard pass from Steve Bartkowski ( Tim Mazzetti kick) | 17-21 |
| Saints | Chuck Muncie 4 yard rush ( Russell Erxleben kick) | 17-28 |
| Falcons | Tim Mazzetti 43 yard field goal | 20-28 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Saints | Russell Erxleben 37 yard field goal | 20-31 |
| Falcons | Wallace Francis 21 yard pass from Steve Bartkowski ( Tim Mazzetti kick) | 27-31 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Falcons | William Andrews 4 yard rush ( Tim Mazzetti kick) | 34-31 |
| Saints | Russell Erxleben 38 yard field goal | 34-34 |
| OT | ||
| Falcons | James Mayberry 6 yard interception return | 40-34 |
The won the playoffs game on 1979-09-02 against the 40-34. . . . For the other side Steve Bartkowski went 22 of 38 for 312 yards with 3 touchdowns and 1 interceptions. William Andrews ran for 167 on 30 carries with 1 touchdown. The 49ers stay on track for the divisional standings expected coming into the calendar's back half.[1]
The took the playoffs game over the on 1979-09-02. . . .
The afternoon's outcome maps to the kind of postseason game-script both staffs have been projecting since the regular season closed. The offensive line's pocket time on the dropbacks produced the kind of pass-protection the winning playbook called. The defensive unit's pressure produced the kind of takeaway that defined the closing two quarters. The playoffs's afternoon ends with the projected outcome.
The week of preparation produced the kind of game-plan continuity the wire copy has been writing into. The closing-drive coverage was the kind of stop the winning unit has been generating.
40, 34. The playoffs's box score reads: . . . On the other side: Steve Bartkowski went 22 of 38 for 312 yards with 3 touchdowns and 1 interceptions. William Andrews ran for 167 on 30 carries with 1 touchdown.
The 's playoffs game against the on 1979-09-02 ended with the kind of game-script the wire copy has been writing into. The conference bracket continues to shape across the calendar's projected postseason pacing.
How it unfolded
. . . The Sunday's offensive output produced the kind of full-sixty pace both playbooks have been working through across the bye-week preparation. On the defensive side Steve Bartkowski went 22 of 38 for 312 yards with 3 touchdowns and 1 interceptions, and William Andrews ran for 167 on 30 carries with 1 touchdown.
The turning point
The in-game adjustment that, in postseason play, decided the closing two quarters. The winning front's pressure on the third-down dropbacks produced the kind of pass-rush volume the unit has been generating across the calendar's back half.
By the numbers
. The lead-back rotation: . Receiver room: .
Personnel watch
The rotation produced the kind of full-sixty effort both staffs have been projecting. The offensive line's pocket time was the kind that, in postseason play, anchors the bye-week preparation. The receiver room's distribution carried the offensive production.
What it means
The playoffs's outcome maps to the projected postseason pacing. The next-round bracket continues. The film room note is the in-game adjustment that decided the closing two quarters.
| SF | Opp | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 35 | 23 |
| Total Yards | 552 | 512 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 22/38 | 15/31 |
| Pass yards | 312 | 324 |
| Pass TD | 3 | 2 |
| Interceptions | 1 | 2 |
| Sacks taken | 2 | 0 |
| Sack yards lost | 17 | 0 |
| Net pass yards | 295 | 324 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 47 | 32 |
| Rush yards | 257 | 188 |
| Rush TD | 1 | 2 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 1 | 0 |
| Fumbles lost | 1 | 0 |
| Penalties | 7 | 3 |
| Penalty yards | 84 | 27 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATL | |||||
| Steve Bartkowski | 22/38 | 312 | 3 | 1 | |
| NOR | |||||
| Archie Manning | 14/29 | 284 | 1 | 1 | |
| Chuck Muncie | 1/1 | 40 | 1 | 0 | |
| Russell Erxleben | 0/1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATL | ||||
| William Andrews | 30 | 167 | 1 | 23 |
| Bubba Bean | 14 | 65 | 0 | 10 |
| Steve Bartkowski | 2 | 19 | 0 | 18 |
| Haskel Stanback | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| NOR | ||||
| Chuck Muncie | 22 | 161 | 2 | 69 |
| Tony Galbreath | 10 | 27 | 0 | 6 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATL | ||||
| Alfred Jenkins | 7 | 131 | 1 | 53 |
| Wallace Francis | 5 | 65 | 2 | 21 |
| Bubba Bean | 3 | 43 | 0 | 18 |
| Alfred Jackson | 2 | 38 | 0 | 23 |
| William Andrews | 3 | 22 | 0 | 9 |
| Dennis Pearson | 1 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Jim Mitchell | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| NOR | ||||
| Wes Chandler | 6 | 205 | 1 | 42 |
| Ike Harris | 5 | 68 | 1 | 26 |
| Henry Childs | 4 | 51 | 0 | 23 |
Find or start the canonical thread for this game on r/49ers. The thread title is deterministic so anyone running this Rewatch lands on the same place.
Find the thread Start the threadCanonical title: [Rewatch Party] 1979 Classic - Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints - Game Thread
