3 Falcons up, 3 Falcons down in Week 3 win over the Saints

It seemed like a tall order for the Atlanta Falcons to win in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on the 10th anniversary of the New Orleans Saints’ Domecoming, but that’s exactly what they did.

Let’s see who shined and who didn’t in Atlanta’s 45-32 victory.

Up

Running back duo

Atlanta’s two-headed rushing attacked shined against the Saints. Devonta Freeman rushed for 152 yards on just 14 attempts and led all receivers with five catches for 55 yards and a touchdown. Tevin Coleman totaled 89 yards and three rushing touchdowns. This tandem could be a nightmare all season long for opposing defenses.

Deion Jones

One defensive player deserves recognition, and it’s Atlanta’s second-round pick. Jones has performed admirably after winning the starting middle linebacker job, and his 90-yard interception return for a touchdown was key in ensuring the Falcons came away win a victory. He turned in a very good outing.

Kyle Shanahan

The Falcons scored touchdowns on their first five red zone trips, making it eight straight going back to last week’s win over the Oakland Raiders. Shanahan takes a lot of heat — and deservedly so at times — but the offense looked especially dangerous Monday night, even without Julio Jones getting into the mix.

Down

Sean Weatherspoon

Weatherspoon started the game strong, but continually gave up completions as the game went on. The veteran linebacker has had some good moments filling in, but the Falcons are sorely missing De’Vondre Campbell’s speed.

Robert Alford

Drew Brees targeted Alford often, and it usually resulted in a positive gain for the Saints. Surely, Desmond Trufant locking down Brandin Cooks had something to do with it, but the cornerback has had a rough start to the season.

Richard Smith

This defense is atrocious, and the coordinator needs to take some of the heat. Atlanta made Mark Ingram and Coby Fleener look really, really good, and that’s not a good thing.

What’s your take?