The Atlanta Falcons' defense was what helped them win their first game of the season against the Green Bay Packers last Thursday night, and they're going to again need the defense to step up when they travel to New Orleans to face Tyler Shough and the Saints on Monday Night Football in Week 4.
The Saints player Jeff Ulbrich is probably going to lose the most sleep over is star wide receiver Chris Olave, since his connection with Shough has seen him cement himself as one of the most dangerous pass-catchers in football, but Atlanta should know better than to stop at nothing to slow him down.
While Olave is far and away the top receiving option the Saints have, he's not the only one to worry about. Juwan Johnson enjoyed a breakout season in 2025, logging career-highs in catches (77) and receiving yards (889) and across the first three weeks of 2026, he looks poised to take another leap.
The Atlanta Falcons cannot underestimate Juwan Johnson on Monday
Johnson is coming off of an eight-catch, two-touchdown performance in the Saints' Week 3 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders where he continues to cement himself as a safety valve for Shough--especially in the red zone--and they'll need somebody to step up in the red area, especially since Travis Etienne is unlikely to play and Alvin Kamara is a shell fo his former self.
The only tight ends with more receiving yards than the 30-year-old in 2026 are Trey McBride, Dalton Schultz, George Kittle, and Dalton Kincaid, and he's tied with Kittle for the most touchdown receptions among tight ends with three, and as a converted wide receiver, he's been a handful for defenses to cover.
Unfortunately for the Dirty Birds, they've surrendered a touchdown to a tight end in two of their three games this season, as both Pat Freiermuth and Darren Wallen found the end zone against this defense.
In fact, Waller did twice, and given the Saints will get Johnson more involved than either of those guys, this is not a good sign since C.J. Henderson will spend most of the night on Olave. He's become Shough's go-to target when faced with the blitz, and he's one of the better yards-after-catch TEs in this league.
The good news here is that the Falcons have a linebacker room both big enough and athletic enough to take No. 83 out of the game. Both Kendal Daniels and Divine Deablo are former safeties with the range to excel in coverage, and Harold Perkins Jr. has been a pleasant surprise as a coverage LB.
Maybe Jessie Bates gets a look too since he's becoming more of a box safety, but Daniels and Deablo should take on this assignment. The rookie has improved every week in coverage, and facing an emerging tight end like the former UDFA should test the limits of his development.
The Atlanta Falcons are going to embark on a must-win game against the Saints on Monday since there are NFC South implications all over. And for as important as it is to contain Chris Olave, keeping Juwan Johnson in check could be just as important in terms of coming away with the W.
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