Falcons safety Jessie Bates made the biggest play of the day so far in Atlanta.
With the Saints driving into the red zone, Bates stepped in front of a Derek Carr pass, ran down the sideline and scored on a 92-yard interception return touchdown to give the Falcons a 7-3 lead in the first quarter.
It was Bates’ fourth interception of the season and his first pick-six.
It hasn’t been a great game early on for the Falcons’ offense, with Desmond Ridder completing just one of four passes and losing a yard on a fourth down run. The Falcons need their defense to keep playing at a high level to win this big NFC South matchup.
