Welcome to the stinker of the New Orleans Saints’ 2019 season.



You’d have had a hard time distinguishing the 7-1 and 1-7 squads in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday.



The previously 7-1 Saints seemed listless and stagnant in all phases outside two nice returns by Deonte Harris. The previously 1-7 Falcons looked like a team fighting for embattled coach Dan Quinn and hellbent to topple its hated rival, considered one of the best teams in the league.



The result: The Falcons defeated the Saints 26-9.



These were not the Saints of the previous eight games. Sluggish offense. Porous defense. Arguably New Orleans’ worst overall performance in the past three years.



“Pick a situation, and there’s a good chance they won that situation,” Saints coach Sean Payton said.



The Falcons entered Sunday ranked 29th in rushing offense, averaging 76.8 yards per game. The Saints were second in run defense, allowing...