Bijan Robinson steals show as Saints slip to ’embarrassing’ loss on 20th ‘Domecoming’ anniversary

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New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough admitted he was “embarrassed”. Head coach Kellen Moore, in his second year, described himself as “disappointed” and “frustrated.”

A night dedicated to commemorating one of the most triumphant moments in franchise history ultimately concluded with early exits and echoing boos.

Just three plays into Monday night’s matchup against Atlanta, running back Bijan Robinson silenced an energetic Superdome crowd with a 59-yard touchdown run.

The Saints’ sluggish performance in a 45-24 loss to the Falcons offered no reminder of their memorable 23-3 win over the same opponent two decades ago, when the Superdome reopened in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. On that storied night, Steve Gleason famously blocked an opening-drive punt that Curtis Deloatch recovered for a touchdown to kickstart the victory.

This time around, pregame ceremonies honored those iconic moments from 20 years ago. Retired players Drew Brees, Scott Fujita, Scott Shanle, Deuce McAllister, Devery Henderson and Deloatch joined Gleason—who now uses a wheelchair due to ALS—on the field before kickoff to lead the crowd in the familiar “Who dat!” chant.

Irma Thomas, the New Orleans native who performed the national anthem at the stadium’s 2006 reopening, returned to sing once again. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell also traveled to New Orleans for the “Domecoming” game, having attended the original fixture two decades prior.

Earlier in the day, New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno presented Gleason with a key to the city. Gleason later met former Falcons punter Michael Koenen beside the “Rebirth” statue outside the venue, which commemorates the historic punt block.

What followed, however, was the game itself—the Saints’ first prime-time, nationally televised home contest in nearly two years.

“It’s extremely disappointing,” Shough said. “It’s embarrassing. I can’t say enough good things about fans showing up, the entire process, what this game meant and we fell short as a team. … We’ve got to do better on all fronts.”

Gleason’s personal motto is “Never punt.” Atlanta appeared to adopt that philosophy, posting their highest single-game point total since a 48-33 victory against Carolina in 2016. The Falcons did not punt again after the first quarter, converting five of their final six full possessions into touchdowns.

Now 1-3, New Orleans thought it had turned a corner with a win at Baltimore two weeks ago, but has since dropped two consecutive games at home.

“We’re all frustrated, all disappointed with where we’re at,” Moore said. “We’re going to have to learn from this one and move forward.”

Shough threw for 286 yards and wide receiver Chris Olave caught eight passes for 116 yards, but New Orleans scored on just one of its five first-half drives, falling behind 24-7. After settling for a 27-yard field goal to start the second half, Atlanta responded with a nine-play, 74-yard touchdown drive to extend the lead to 31-10.

The Superdome began to drain of spectators at that point, turning into a celebration for red-clad Falcons supporters after Atlanta scored another touchdown to lead 38-17 with 9:50 remaining in the fourth quarter.

“I love New Orleans. I love this place,” Shough said. “And you see the energy, the passion of everybody, the culture behind this place and it sucks whenever you don’t come through on the field in that way, especially against our division rivals. It hurts me. I don’t want to feel like that ever again.”

Shorthanded without injured defensive end Carl Granderson, linebacker Kaden Elliss and running back Travis Etienne, among others, New Orleans was unable to keep pace with Atlanta. Bijan Robinson rushed for 145 yards and two touchdowns, while Brian Robinson Jr. chipped in with three touchdown runs.

Chasing the game, New Orleans largely abandoned its running attack, finishing with only 50 yards on 19 attempts.

The defeat leaves New Orleans one game behind NFC South coleaders Atlanta and Carolina.

“We squandered an opportunity but we’ve got more opportunities,” Shough said. “You’ve got to kind of take it on the chin and we’ll see them again.”