Sean Payton takes shot at light turnout in Atlanta

Former Saints coach Sean Payton has a history with Atlanta, given the intense rivalry between the two teams. Payton's current team, the Broncos, faced off against the Falcons in a preseason game held in Georgia. During halftime, Payton couldn't help but make a comment about the lack of crowd in Atlanta, jokingly stating, "There's a lot of people dressed up as empty seats today."

The official attendance for the game was listed as 68,183, which might not represent the actual number of fans in the stands. The Broncos-Falcons game ended with a score of 27-7, with the Falcons trailing 24-0 at halftime. Despite the preseason nature of the match, the Falcons' poor performance in the first half raises questions about their ability to fill seats during their regular-season home games.

However, the team has reason for optimism, having finished tied for the NFC South championship. To clinch the division in 2026, the Falcons need to secure positive results from the quarterback position. The first four games of their season are away matches, and three of the teams they'll face in those early games had playoff appearances in 2025.