Twenty Years of 'Rebirth': The NFL Schedules Falcons to Face Saints In ‘Dome-Coming’

Twenty Years of 'Rebirth': The NFL Schedules Falcons to Face Saints In ‘Dome-Coming’

When the NFL officially dropped the 2026 schedule, New Orleans Saints fans immediately circled Week 4. On October 5, Monday Night Football returns to the Caesars Superdome. But this isn't just any primetime slot; it is a momentous, emotionally heavy night designated to commemorate the 20-year anniversary of the historic 2006 "Dome-coming" game—the night the Saints reopened their doors after Hurricane Katrina and proved to the world that New Orleans was still standing.

Naturally, the script dictates that the opponent must be the Atlanta Falcons. It is one of the NFL’s most storied, bitter rivalries.

Yet, as The Times-Picayune/NOLA.com’s Jeff Duncan revealed, the Falcons wanted absolutely no part of it. According to Duncan, Atlanta actively lobbied the league to not be the sacrificial lamb for New Orleans' anniversary party.

And the NFL, in a rare moment of poetic justice, scheduled them for it anyway.

The Anatomy of Football Cowardice

Let’s call this what it is: incredibly soft.

In the hyper-competitive, alpha-male landscape of the NFL, teams usually beg for primetime exposure. Players want the bright lights; coaches want the national stage to prove their mettle. For an organization to look at a calendar, see a monumental historical milestone for their chief rival, and essentially say, "Please, Mr. Goodell, don't make us go into that loud building," is a hilarious admission of fear.

What exactly are the Falcons afraid of? They are terrified of a ghost. Specifically, the ghost of September 25, 2006.

Twenty years ago, the Falcons walked into a traumatized, defiant, and deeply emotional Superdome. Less than two minutes into the game, Steve Gleason blocked a Michael Koenen punt, Curtis Deloatch recovered it in the end zone, and the Superdome shook with a force that felt like it could rip the roof right back off. The Saints went on to blister the Falcons 23-3 in a game that transcended sports. It wasn't about football; it was about the rebirth of an American city.