The New Orleans Saints were just the medicine the Atlanta Falcons needed to end their five-game losing streak.

Kirk Cousins was in command and led the offense on some good drives, and the defense held the Saints’ offense out of the end zone in a 24-10 victory Sunday at Caesars Superdome.

The Falcons (4-7) ended their skid and the defense had one of its best games of the season, allowing just three points — the New Orleans touchdown came on a pick-six.

Kicker Zane Gonzalez had field goals of 56, 54 and 41 yards, bringing some stability to the Falcons’ kicking game.

Here are some quick takeaways from the Falcons’ victory.

Cousins in control

Cousins started his stretch of the final seven games as the starting quarterback, and it wasn’t bad.

Without the Falcons’ top receiver, Drake London, Cousins was playing with a patchwork offense, but he was able to spread the ball around in the passing game, hitting seven receivers, which was a different look than what Michael Penix Jr. had done throughout the season.

For the game, Cousins finished 16 of 23 for 199 yards, with two touchdowns and an interception.

Unlike the previous games he’s played this season, Cousins looked to be more comfortable, especially on the big play to Darnell Mooney, a 49-yard touchdown play. The pass had all the air yards, and it was a good catch by Mooney in the end zone.

His work in the play-action pass was good — more on that later — and the interception wasn’t his fault.

Good on Cousins.

Defense improves

Through three quarters, the defense didn’t allow a touchdown, as the Saints had only seven points, which came on Cousins’ pick-six — which came on a tipped pass, and wasn’t his fault.

That early shutout was a bit circumstantial, as the Saints missed a 38-yard field goal early in the game and went for it on fourth-and-goal at the 2 on another possession. To be fair, the Saints also were without their best running back, Alvin Kamara, for most of the game.

But New Orleans had some good possessions, and the Falcons didn’t allow them to score again until the fourth quarter, on a field goal.

James Pearce Jr. had a sack — actually, 1 1/2 sacks — for the third straight game, and fellow rookie Jalon Walker added a sack, along with 1 1/2 sacks for Brandon Dorlus.

The defense totaled five sacks in the game, and Xavier Watts sealed the win with an interception

Divine Deablo also had a good return from a broken forearm and he was active in the trenches.

Just kickin’ it

It looks like the Falcons have found their kicker — at least for now.

Zane Gonzalez has brought consistency to the most inconsistent position on the roster, and he went 3 for 3 on field goals Sunday.

We live in a world where the Falcons can just trot their kicker out to make 54- and 56-yard field goals — which Gonzalez did in the win. That probably wouldn’t have happened with either Younghoe Koo nor Parker Romo earlier in the year, but it shows the confidence that they have to go to Gonzalez in those situations.

The Saints had problems with their kicker, as Blake Grupe missed a pair of field goals, which kept them from keeping pace with the Falcons early.

It’s a luxury that was a struggle early in the season, but it’s much easier on the eyes now.

Falcons' play-action works better

The benefit to having Cousins taking snaps under center — as opposed to Penix in the pistol formation — was that the play-action pass worked so much better.

The offense also operated in a different formation, with one receiver and three tight ends, that gave the Saints’ defense different looks that they hadn’t seen much on film.

Why is the play-action important?

Simple. Defenses focus on Bijan Robinson, and when the Falcons key on him — with the Falcons’ tendency to run on first down — it’s a bit more predictable and harder to hide in the pistol.

Play-action freezes the linebackers and lets the play develop a bit more, allowing more space in the second level of the defense. It’s a small thing, but it can be a bigger thing as the game goes on and the passing lanes are smaller when the linebackers can move around more freely.

Special teams

The Falcons made field goals — long ones. The Saints missed short ones and had issues on special teams that the Falcons didn’t. For a change, the Falcons got good field position on their kick returns and punt returns.

That set up the offense in favorable positions and made the drives more palatable.

It’s, in fact, a small thing, but not starting deep in your own territory allows the offense to be more comfortable and have some space behind them.

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