Saints rookie Shough and Falcons veteran Cousins will match winning streaks in NFC South showdown

New Orleans (6-10) at Atlanta (7-9)

Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, Fox.

BetMGM NFL Odds: Falcons by 3.

Against the spread: Saints 8-8; Falcons 9-7

Series record: Falcons lead 57-56

Last meeting: With Kirk Cousins at quarterback, the Falcons beat the Saints 24-10 on Nov. 23 in New Orleans to end a five-game losing streak.

Last week: Saints beat Titans 34-26 in Nashville, Tenn.; Falcons beat the Los Angeles Rams 27-24 on Monday night in Atlanta.

Saints offense: overall (23), rush (30), pass (17), scoring (29).

Saints defense: overall (9), rush (23), pass (5), scoring (16).

Falcons offense: overall (15), rush (5), pass (19), scoring (24).

Falcons defense: overall (14), rush (26), pass (11), scoring (20)

Turnover differential: Saints minus-3; Falcons plus-4

Rookie Tyler Shough is looking to make a final case that he's the long-term answer at quarterback. He has led the team to four consecutive wins, the Saints' longest winning streak since Drew Brees led the offense in 2020. Shough topped 300 passing yards in the past two wins. He completed 22 of 27 passes for 333 yards, two touchdowns and a 142.7 rating against the Titans last week. Shough ranks first among rookie quarterbacks with a 92.1 rating this season.

Bijan Robinson's 229 scrimmage yards, including his career-high 195 rushing yards, against the Rams gave him the team record with 2,255 scrimmage yards for the season. His big game included another team record with a 93-yard touchdown run, but the Falcons may be reluctant to ask Robinson to match that heavy workload following a quick turnaround, especially with Tyler Allgeier available as a capable backup. The Falcons obviously want to close the season with a fourth straight win, but they also want to protect Robinson's health for the future.

Robinson and Allgeier vs. Saints run defense. The Saints rank only 23rd against the run. Atlanta ranks fifth in rushing yards following Robinson's huge game against the Rams. The Falcons are expected to continue to emphasis their running game after Kirk Cousins attempted only 20 passes, completing 13 for only 126 yards, last week. The Falcons rushed for only 121 yards with no touchdowns in their first game against the Saints.

Saints: WR Chris Olave is expected to miss the game after being hospitalized with a reported blood clot in his lung. ... TE Jack Stoll (knee) was held out of practice Wednesday and Thursday after leaving the game against the Titans. DT Bryan Bresee (knee) and RB Alvin Kamara (knee and ankle) did not practice Wednesday and Thursday after missing Sunday's game. RG Cesar Ruiz (ankle) was limited on Wednesday but had a full practice on Thursday.

Falcons: DL Brandon Dorlus (hamstring) will miss the game but the Falcons were relieved he didn't suffer a more significant injury. CB Mike Hughes (ankle) was placed on injured reserve after missing two games. CB Clark Phillips III (triceps, illness) missed practice Wednesday and Thursday. WRs Darnell Mooney (knee) and Drake London (knee) were limited.

The NFC South rivals split their regular-season series each of the past two seasons, with each team winning at home. The Falcons' win in the first game this season was their first in New Orleans since a 27-25 victory on Nov. 7, 2021. The Saints won nine of 11 in the series in a stretch that began with the second game in 2017 and continued through a sweep of the 2022 games. Atlanta took a 27-21 wild-card round win in 1991 in the only playoff game in the rivalry. The Falcons' most recent sweep came in 2016.

The home team has won five of the past six games, with Atlanta's win on Nov. 23 the exception. ... Shough is 5-3 as a starter, including the four consecutive wins. He took over as the starter when the team was 1-7. ... Shough has topped 300 passing yards in each of the past two games. ... The Saints don't have a win over a team that currently has a winning record. ... Saints RB Audric Estime set a career high with 94 rushing yards with a touchdown last week and could be in position for another big role. ... TE Juwan Johnson set a season high with 95 receiving yards last week and has a career-best 828 yards for the season. ... The Falcons are 4-1 in prime-time games and 3-8 in afternoon games. The prime-time record includes Monday night wins over the Buffalo Bills and Rams. ... The Falcons' three-game winning streak came after the team was eliminated from playoff contention. ... Allgeier leads Atlanta with eight rushing touchdowns, one more than Robinson. ... Falcons S Xavier Watts leads NFL rookies with five interceptions. Watts and Jessie Bates, who has three picks, have combined for eight interceptions to tie for the most of any safety duo in the league. ... The Falcons rank second in the NFL with 53 sacks after ranking next-to-last with 31 last season. ... Robinson's 5,605 scrimmage yards for his career are the most by a player under the age of 24 in NFL history. Robinson is 23 and will turn 24 on Jan. 30. ... James Pearce Jr. leads NFL rookies with 8 1/2 sacks. Jalon Walker is second with 5 1/2 sacks.

Zane Gonzalez has made 15 of 18 field goals, including last week's go-ahead 51-yarder with 21 seconds remaining, in his eight games with Atlanta. Gonzalez made each of his three attempts in the Falcons' first win over the Saints and has made at least two field goals in five of his eight games. Gonzalez nailed his game-winning kick last week after having an earlier attempt blocked and could be a good pick for more fantasy points as he attempts to put a lock on the job for 2026.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Atlanta Falcons place kicker Zane Gonzalez (45) celebrates his go-ahead field goal with long snapper Liam McCullough (49) in the second half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Atlanta Falcons safety Xavier Watts (31) celebrates his interception with safety Jessie Bates III (3) in the second half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson (7) celebrates after an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

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)

NEW YORK (AP) — Less than 24 hours after throngs of ecstatic supporters poured into Manhattan for his history-making inauguration, Zohran Mamdani began his first full day of work with a routine familiar to many New Yorkers: trudging to the subway from a cramped apartment.

Bundled against the frigid temperature and seemingly fighting off a cold, he set out Friday morning from the one-bedroom apartment in Queens that he shares with his wife. But unlike most commuters, Mamdani's trip was documented by a photo and video crew, and periodically interrupted by neighbors wishing him luck.

The 34-year-old democratic socialist, whose victory was hailed as a watershed moment for the progressive movement, has now begun the task of running the nation’s largest city: signing orders, announcing appointments, facing questions from the press — and answering for some of the actions he took in his first hours.

But first, the symbolism-laden day one commute.

Flanked by security guards and a small clutch of aides on a Manhattan-bound train, he agreed to several selfies with wide-eyed riders, then moved to a corner seat of the train to review his briefing materials.

When a pair of French tourists, confused by the hubbub, approached Mamdani, he introduced himself as “the new mayor of New York.” They seemed doubtful. He held up the morning’s copy of the New York Daily News, featuring his smiling face, as proof.

Mamdani, a Democrat, is hardly alone among city mayors in using the transit system to communicate relatability. His predecessor, Eric Adams, also rode the subway on his first day, and both Bill de Blasio and Michael Bloomberg made a habit out of it, particularly when seeking to make a political point.

Within minutes of Mamdani entering City Hall, the images of him riding public transit had lit up social media.

If the ride served as a well-timed photo-op, it also seemed to reflect Mamdani's pledge, made in his inaugural speech, to ensure his “government looks and lives like the people it represents.”

His other early actions have also seemed to underscore that priority.

After centering much of his campaign on making rent cheaper for New Yorkers, Mamdani raced from his inauguration ceremony Thursday to a Brooklyn apartment building lobby, drawing boisterous cheers from the tenants union as he pledged that the city would ramp up an ongoing legal fight against the allegedly negligent landlord.

Mamdani’s next action, meanwhile, showed the unusual scrutiny faced by his nascent administration, particularly around his criticism of Israel and outspoken support for the Palestinian cause.

In an effort to give his government a “clean slate,” he revoked a slate of executive orders issued by Adams late in his term, including two related to Israel: one that officially adopted a contentious definition of antisemitism that includes certain criticism of Israel, and another barring city agencies and employees from boycotting or divesting from the country.

The move drew swift backlash from some Jewish groups, including allegations from the Israeli government posted to social media that Mamdani had poured “antisemitic gasoline on an open fire.”

When a journalist on Friday asked about the revoked orders, Mamdani read from prepared remarks, promising his administration would be “relentless in its effort to combat hate and division.” He noted that he had left in place the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism.

Mamdani also announced the creation of a “mass engagement” office, which he said would continue the work his campaign’s field operation did to bring more New Yorkers into the political fold.

Ringed by supporters and passersby who stood several rows deep, phones in the air, to catch a glimpse of the new mayor, Mamdani then acknowledged the weight of the current moment.

“We have an opportunity where New Yorkers are allowing themselves to believe in the possibility of city government once again,” he said. “That is not a belief that will sustain itself in the absence of action.”

Also on Mamdani’s to-do list: Moving to the mayor’s official residence, a stately mansion in the Upper East Side neighborhood of Manhattan, before the lease on his Queens apartment ends later this month.

Associated Press writer Jennifer Peltz contributed to this report.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani attends a press conference in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani reads a newspaper on the subway on his way to City Hall in New York, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani arrives at the City Hall subway station in New York, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani greets passengers on a subway to City Hall in New York, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani checks his agenda on the subway on his way to City Hall in New York, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)