NFC South rivals Falcons and Saints are looking to place encouraging final touch on losing seasons

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints have similar goals of trying to complete lost seasons on high notes that offer hope that the momentum can carry over into next season.

The bad news for the NFC South rivals is that even extending a winning streak in Sunday's final regular-season game would come far too late to make this a successful season.

The Falcons (7-9) have a season-best three-game winning streak and will try to complete their first season sweep of the Saints since 2016.

The Saints (6-10) have won four straight with rookie quarterback Tyler Shough. His strong play may already have convinced management there is no need to devote a high draft pick on another quarterback.

The Falcons will try to build on Monday night's 27-24 upset of the Los Angeles Rams. It was by far the most impressive showing of the late-season upswing that also included wins over Tampa Bay and Arizona.

“They’re playing well,” Shough said of the Falcons. "They’re on a really good winning streak. So, I think it’ll be a great matchup for us to kind of finish off the year strong.”

Atlanta's surge came too late to repair damage done by a five-game losing streak that set the groundwork for its eighth consecutive losing season.

After Michael Penix Jr. suffered a season-ending knee injury, veteran Kirk Cousins took over as Atlanta's starting quarterback for a 24-10 win at New Orleans on Nov. 23. The win in the first matchup with the Saints started a 4-2 run for the Falcons, but questions remain about the status of second-year coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot.

It's unknown if a fourth straight win would convince owner Arthur Blank to give Morris a third season.

Saints receiver Chris Olave is expected to miss the game after needing treatment of a reported blood clot in his lung.

The loss of Olave leaves the Saints without their top receiver. Olave caught eight passes for 119 yards and a touchdown in last week's 34-26 win at Tennessee and is having his best year with career-high totals of 100 receptions for 1,163 yards and nine touchdowns.

Olave's success is even more compelling in light of head injuries that sidelined him for the last half of last season.

Before this week's medical development, Olave said he was “super grateful” to play in the first 16 games. He will be denied appearing in 17 games in a season for the first time in his career.

Falcons running back Bijan Robinson has an opportunity to add to his team-record 2,255 scrimmage yards after setting the mark with 229 yards rushing and receiving against the Rams, including a career-high 195 yards rushing.

Robinson's big night included another team record with a 93-yard touchdown run. He said he's motivated to sweep the season series with the Saints and finish the season with a winning streak.

“That would be huge,” Robinson said. “That would mean a lot.”

The Saints failed to score touchdowns on any of their three red zone possessions in the first game against the Falcons. On two of those series, they didn’t score at all, missing a field goal and turning the ball over on downs at the 1-yard line.

At that point in the season, New Orleans had scored touchdowns on just 10 of its 29 red zone opportunities. In their past five games, the Saints have gone 8 of 13.

“It’s better chemistry, better feel of each other and just operating the plan,” Shough said. “It comes down to execution in that way. We’ve been able to do that and we’re going to have to do that again.”

Atlanta's defense has improved as rookie starters James Pearce Jr., Jalon Walker and Xavier Watts have gained confidence. Pearce and Walker lead NFL rookies in sacks. Watts has a rookie-best five interceptions, including two against the Rams.

“We want to win this game for this year, and for all that means,” defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said. “But the bigger picture is really laying the foundation for something special going forward. ... So this game will mean a lot in that way that we are building something special.”

Several high-profile Saints veterans are playing their final game of their contracts. They include defensive end Cam Jordan, linebacker Demario Davis and defensive back Alontae Taylor.

Jordan is a 15-year veteran who has a team-high 9½ sacks and has indicated no interest in retiring at age 36.

Davis, 37, has a team-leading and career-high 137 tackles and also sounds interested in continuing to play.

Taylor, a 2022 draft choice and four-year starter, has been plagued by inconsistency as he has moved around in the defensive backfield.

AP Sports Writer Brett Martel in New Orleans contributed to this report.

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Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank embraces head coach Raheem Morris after an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins talks to reporters after an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough (6) celebrates after an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson (7) carries for a long gain in the second half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough (6) passes against the Tennessee Titans in the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis)

Minnesota officials have until next week to provide the Trump administration with information about providers and parents who receive federal child care funds or risk losing potentially millions of dollars in federal funding, state officials said Friday.

In an email sent Friday to child care providers shared with The Associated Press by multiple providers, Minnesota’s Department of Children, Youth, and Families said it has until Jan. 9 to provide a set of verifying information about recipients. The announcement earlier this week by the Trump administration that it would freeze child care funds to Minnesota and the rest of the states comes after a series of fraud schemes at Minnesota day care centers, many run by Somali residents. The move came after a right-wing influencer alleged there were widespread abuses.

The Administration for Children and Families, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, provides $185 million in child care funds annually to Minnesota, federal officials have said.

The email instructed providers and families who rely on the frozen federal child care program to continue the program’s “licensing and certification requirements and practices as usual.” It does not say that recipients themselves need to take any action or provide any information.

“We recognize the alarm and questions this has raised,” the email said. “We found out about the freezing of funds at the same time everyone else did on social media.”

The state agency added that it “did not receive a formal communication from the federal government until late Tuesday night,” which was after Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill posted about the freeze on X. All 50 states will have to provide additional levels of verification and administrative data before they receive more funding from the Child Care and Development Fund, which is designed to make child care affordable for low-income families.

The U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform will hold a hearing Wednesday to discuss the allegations of fraudulent use of federal funds in Minnesota. An HHS spokesperson said that the child care fraud hotline put up by the federal agency earlier this week has received more than 200 tips.

Minnesota has drawn ire from Republicans and the Trump administration over other fraud accusations.

Administration for Children and Families Assistant Secretary Alex Adams told Fox News on Friday that his agency sent Minnesota a letter last month asking for information on the child care program and other welfare programs by Dec. 26, but didn't get a response. The state did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Small Business Administration Administrator Kelly Loeffler posted Thursday on X that the agency suspended 6,900 Minnesota borrowers of COVID-19 era loans because of suspected fraud. Trump has also targeted the state's large Somali community with immigration enforcement actions and called them “garbage.”

Minnesota Democrats say the Trump administration is playing politics and hurting families and children as a result. Minnesota's Department of Children, Youth and Families said in a press release Friday that inspectors conduct regular oversight activities for the child care program, noting that there are 55 related open investigations involving providers

Maria Snider, director of a child care center in St. Paul and vice president of advocacy group Minnesota Child Care Association, said providers currently get paid at least three weeks after services are provided. Some 23,000 children and 12,000 families receive funding from the targeted child care program each month on average, according to the state.

“For a lot of centers, we’re already running on a thin margin,” she said. “Even centers where 10 to 15% of their kids are on childcare assistance, that’s a dip in your income.”

Any child who attends a child care center with attendees who receive federal funding could be impacted, Snider said.

According to the Friday email from Minnesota’s Department of Children, Youth, and Families, HHS sent a letter to Minnesota asking for data from 2022 to 2025, including identifying information of all recipients of the child care funds, a list of all providers who receive the funds, how much they receive and “information related to alleged fraud networks and oversight failures.” It’s unclear whether Minnesota already has the data the administration is asking for.

HHS said five child care centers that receive funds from the child care program or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families would have to provide “specific documentation” such as attendance, inspections and assessments, according to the email.

HHS said it would provide Minnesota with more information by Jan. 5, but the state agency wrote that it’s unclear what kinds of funding restrictions it faces.

“Our teams are working hard to analyze the legal, fiscal, and other aspects of this federal action,” the email says. “We do not know the full impact.”

Children watch television at ABC Learning Center in Minneapolis, Minn., on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave)

FILE - Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks during a House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform hearing, June 12, 2025, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)

FILE - State Sen. Michelle Benson reacts at a news conference on Wednesday, April 10, 2019 at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul to a report by the state's legislative auditor on combatting fraud in Minnesota's Child Care Assistance Program. (AP Photo/Steve Karnowski,File)

People gather for a news conference at the state capitol in St. Paul, Minn., on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Giovanna Dell'Orto)