Welcome back to the Saints Insider newsletter for Thursday, Jan. 6. It’s rivalry week, with the Saints traveling to Atlanta on Sunday to take on the archrival Falcons in a game with playoff implications. It doesn’t get much juicier than that. Motivation won’t be a problem for either side. The Saints need a win to keep their playoff hopes alive. And you know the Falcons would love nothing more than to spoil the Saints’ postseason hopes and finish their first season under rookie coach Arthur Smith with a series sweep of their longtime division rivals. No wonder the Saints treating this like a playoff game and calling it a “must-win” contest. Because it is. If the Saints lose they’ll miss the playoffs first the first time in five years. Luke Johnson has the story on the team’s mindset as it prepares for the Falcons. There was some good news on the injury front on Wednesday. Right tackle Ryan Ramczyk was a limited practice participant, just his second practice since injuring his knee against Tennessee in Week 10. However, four key players missed practice, so not all the news was good. Amie Just has the full story. Veteran defensive end Cam Jordan has enjoyed a resurgent finish to the 2021 season and was honored by the NFL for his work with the NFC Defensive Player of the Week award. It’s the second time Jordan has won the award in the past three weeks, Amie Just reports. And, finally, it should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed the NFL this crazy season that the league is considering alternative sites for the Super Bowl as a contingency plan in case of weather- or COVID-related issue would force the game to be moved. Among the sites being considered as a fallback option for the NFL is AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, the Associated Press reported. And, as always, thanks for following our daily coverage here at NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune. We'll have more stories as kickoff nears on Sunday. Thanks for following along! Until next time, Jeff Duncan | 
