ATLANTA (Interstat) — In a game defined by defensive stands and a critical late turnover, the Atlanta Falcons edged the New Orleans Saints 19-17 on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium to close their regular season.

A crowd of 69,512 watched as the Falcons, finishing 8-9, relied on four field goals from kicker Zane Gonzalez and a game-sealing interception to sweep the season series from their NFC South rivals. The Saints concluded their campaign at 6-11.

The most important sequence of the game unfolded in the final four minutes, with the Falcons clinging to a 16-13 lead. New Orleans quarterback Tyler Shough, who finished 23 of 35 for 259 yards and added 34 rushing yards, had driven the Saints from their own 22-yard line to the Atlanta 20. Facing second-and-7, Shough’s pass intended for Samori Toure was intercepted by Falcons cornerback Dee Alford, who returned it 59 yards to the New Orleans 27.

That play, with 3 minutes and 14 seconds remaining, prevented the Saints from taking the lead or tying the game with a field goal. Atlanta then ran three plays to set up Gonzalez’s 38-yard field goal with 2 minutes and 52 seconds left, pushing the lead to 19-13 and forcing New Orleans to need a touchdown.

The Saints nearly got one. Shough engineered a rapid 65-yard drive in just over a minute and a half, culminating in a 16-yard touchdown pass to Ronnie Bell. That pulled New Orleans within 19-17 with 1 minute and 11 seconds on the clock. But the ensuing onside kick attempt went out of bounds, and Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins took two kneel-downs to end the game.

Cousins, named Atlanta’s top star, completed 18 of 32 passes for 180 yards and a touchdown. His primary connection was with Drake London, who caught four passes for 78 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown in the first quarter. Tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. added six catches for 58 yards.

The Falcons’ defense, despite allowing 363 total yards, made pivotal plays throughout. Along with Alford’s interception, they sacked Shough four times, with James Pearce Jr. recording two. Linebacker Divine Deablo led all tacklers with eight stops, while Alford finished with nine tackles and the interception.

New Orleans’ offense was paced by rookie running back Audric Estime, who carried 21 times for 63 yards and caught five passes for 43 yards. Shough spread the ball to nine different receivers, with Juwan Johnson making three catches for 61 yards and Dante Pettis catching five for 60.

Defensively for the Saints, end Carl Granderson was a persistent force, recording 10 tackles, 1.5 sacks and a first-quarter interception of Cousins in the end zone that thwarted an early Atlanta drive. Chase Young also had 1.5 sacks.

The game was a defensive struggle from the outset. Gonzalez’s 40-yard field goal in the second quarter gave Atlanta a 10-0 lead before Shough answered with a 1-yard touchdown run to cap a 13-play, 65-yard drive, making it 10-7 at halftime.

After Gonzalez hit from 51 yards in the third quarter, Saints kicker Charlie Smyth connected from 29 yards to pull New Orleans within 13-10. Gonzalez’s fourth field goal, another 38-yarder early in the fourth, extended Atlanta’s lead to 16-10. Smyth later missed a 56-yard attempt wide left in the second quarter.

The Falcons’ victory defied the pregame betting line, which had installed New Orleans as a 3.5-point favorite. The combined score of 36 points fell well under the over/under line of 43.5. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a 31-24 Atlanta win, while its ELO system gave the Falcons a 75.7% probability to win.

The result provided a measure of consolation for Atlanta, which was eliminated from playoff contention last week. For New Orleans, the loss capped a disappointing season that began with higher expectations.