The New Orleans Saints host the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football tonight in a game layered with history: the franchise is staging a 20th-anniversary “Domecoming” celebration of the Superdome's rebirth after Hurricane Katrina. Kickoff is 8:15 p.m. ET at the Caesars Superdome, with the national broadcast on ESPN and the ManningCast on ESPN2.
On September 25, 2006, the Saints returned to a rebuilt Superdome and beat these same Falcons 23-3 — a night defined by Steve Gleason's blocked punt, which became the enduring symbol of the city's revival. Gleason will be honored tonight alongside members of the 2006 team, with a halftime show headlined by Trombone Shorty and a benefit for Team Gleason.
The football stakes are real, too. Both teams sit at 1-2, and the winner moves to 2-2 and ties Carolina for first place in the NFC South, while the loser falls to 1-3. It is the 115th all-time meeting between the rivals, with Atlanta leading the series 58-56. The Saints are roughly 2.5-point favorites with the total set around 47.5 to 48.5.
Atlanta's Michael Penix Jr., back from ACL surgery, is coming off a big Week 3 outing in the 35-14 rout of Green Bay, when the Falcons piled up 498 yards and Drake London caught nine passes for 194 yards. New Orleans counters with quarterback Tyler Shough and receiver Chris Olave; with running back Travis Etienne Jr. on injured reserve with a hamstring injury, Alvin Kamara is set for a heavier workload.
