Even though it’s late in the season, the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints will finally get to rekindle their intense rivalry on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. This will be the first of two NFC South meetings between the teams in the latter part of 2023.

The Falcons still have two games remaining against the Saints in which they may drastically affect their own postseason prospects with two victories. The Falcons may have some inside information because they already have defensive lineman David Onyemata and former New Orleans defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen on the squad.

Arthur talks about being ready

But Arthur Smith, the coach of the Falcons, knows how important it is to be prepared for anything. It could be costly for either team to enter the game uninformed of the adjustments a club is expected to make from season to season. Smith said ,

“I’m sure, as every team, they’ve tweaked a few things,” “There’s probably a little bit of different philosophies you have year-to-year that maybe they’ve evolved to, and then some major things that you see. I mean, you’re going to see it on film just like they see from us. The longer you’re in a division, you get to know each other pretty well. Yeah, it can be a plus but you always have to respect and understand that they’re going to change as well.”

It’s still up in the air as to who will win a playoff position in what is considered the poorest division in the league in a close three-team fight. As much may happen during the last stretch of the season, the Saints (5-5) are now leading the way, followed by Atlanta (4-6) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-6).