When the Atlanta Falcons (1-2) and New Orleans Saints (1-2) have their semiannual NFC South battle on Monday Night Football, it’ll celebrate the 20th anniversary of the “Domecoming,” when the Saints returned to the Superdome following the 2005 Hurricane Katrina.
It’ll also be a trip home and a shot at redemption for Houma, Louisiana native Maason Smith, a defensive tackle in his first year with the Falcons.
“The last time I played there, I tore my ACL,” Smith said of Caesars Superdome. “Just a whole bunch of emotions, but I’m expecting us to go out there and do what we need to do.”
Smith was in college as a member of the LSU Tigers in 2022, when he sustained the left ACL injury at Caesars Superdome while celebrating a defensive stop against the Florida State Seminoles in the Allstate Louisiana Kickoff. He left the Week 1 game in the first quarter and returned the following season before becoming a second-round NFL Draft pick in 2024.
Smith said he paid for 20 tickets for his family to come from an hour away to watch him face the Saints and hopes to sneak away from the team to enjoy some home cooking from his mother and grandmother.
After two seasons as a rotational piece for the Jacksonville Jaguars, the 6-foot-5, 306-pounder was one of the first moves Atlanta made under new general manager Ian Cunningham. In April, the Falcons dealt linebacker Ruke Orhorhoro for the player-for-player swap.
The deal has paid early dividends.
PFF graded the third-year defensive lineman an 87.2, third among interior defenders, for his Week 3 performance in the Falcons’ 35-14 win over the Green Bay Packers. This season, Smith is tied for third in defensive tackle pass rush win rate at 32%.
The metrics far outweigh his three tackles through three games.
“I go into every game with just a blank mindset. Just a blank space,” Smith explained.
“I don’t think about much. I want to play as hard and fast as I can and look at the outcome at the end of the game. I feel like when you start chasing plays, you start to get outside the defense and let other things get in the way of playing real team ball. Make the plays that come to you and strive to make the ones that you’re not supposed to make.”
Smith is part of a dominant Atlanta defensive line despite the absence of key pieces such as Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. To some, the frontline production is unexpected, but the likes of Smith, defensive end Za’Darius Smith, and defensive tackle Brandon Dorlus have held down the fort through the young NFL season.
Maason Smith said it’s “pick your poison.”
“We got the same amount of pride as we did from day one,” he said. “People are still going to doubt us. But we all know what we got and what we can accomplish together.”
Entering Monday, the Falcons have a renewed sense of confidence and hope.
The offense had a breakthrough as quarterback Michael Penix Jr. returned from a partially torn ACL injury to start against the Packers.
It was a free-flowing attack.
Running back Bijan Robinson, whom Smith describes as “the best football player I ever seen in my life” and an “even better human being,” rushed for 194 yards and two touchdowns. Wide receiver Drake London also had a night, with nine catches for 194 yards.
It was the polar opposite of the offense in the Falcons’ first two games, with Cooper Rush at quarterback.
“Football is such a complementary sport,” Smith said. “When you get the offense going like that, you get happy about that and for those guys. You’ve been seeing them grind. So you get excited on the sideline. Just keeping the momentum on our side.”
Falcons-Saints have early divisional ramifications. A win for Atlanta, and if the Carolina Panthers fall to the Detroit Lions, would place the Falcons in the sole No. 1 spot in the NFC South.
Despite ironing out inconsistencies, the Saints look improved this year, with quarterback Tyler Shough and Kellen Moore, both in their second seasons with the team.
New Orleans is coming off a 35-27 loss at home to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Falcons at Saints kicks off at 8:15 at Caesars Superdome on ESPN for the Oct. 5 edition of Monday Night Football.
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