Level 1 — Absolute Beginner

The Atlanta Falcons played the New Orleans Saints on Monday night. It was an American football game.

The Falcons won 45 to 24. Bijan Robinson ran 59 yards for a touchdown very early in the game.

The Falcons led from the start to the end. They now have two wins and two losses.

football

A sport where teams carry or throw an oval ball.

touchdown

A score worth six points.

yard

A short distance used in football.

lead

To be ahead.

win

To get the best score.

loss

A game that a team does not win.

team

A group of players.

night

The dark part of the day.

Level 2 — Elementary

The Atlanta Falcons beat the New Orleans Saints 45 to 24 on Monday night in the Superdome. It was a special evening in New Orleans.

The game marked 20 years since the Saints came back to the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina. That night in 2006, the Saints beat the Falcons 23 to 3.

This time the Falcons ruined the party. Bijan Robinson ran 59 yards for a touchdown on the third play, and he finished with 145 rushing yards and two scores. Brian Robinson Jr. scored three rushing touchdowns.

Atlanta never trailed. The Falcons are now 2 and 2, and the Saints are 1 and 3.

anniversary

The day a special event happened years ago.

hurricane

A very strong storm with high winds.

rushing

Moving the football by running with it.

score

To earn points.

trail

To be behind.

special

Not ordinary; important.

finish

To end.

evening

The part of the day before night.

Level 3 — Intermediate

The Atlanta Falcons turned a ceremonial Monday night in New Orleans into a rout, beating the Saints 45 to 24 on the 20th anniversary of the Superdome's reopening after Hurricane Katrina. On that night in 2006 the Saints had beaten the Falcons 23 to 3 in one of the most emotional games in the city's history.

Atlanta set the tone immediately. Running back Bijan Robinson sprinted 59 yards for a touchdown on the third play from scrimmage and finished with 145 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while Brian Robinson Jr. added three rushing scores. Those five rushing touchdowns matched the Falcons' single-game franchise record.

The numbers underline how one-sided it was. Atlanta gained 420 total yards, 205 of them on the ground, and led from wire to wire, while New Orleans managed just 50 rushing yards.

The result lifts the Falcons to 2 and 2, while the Saints fall to 1 and 3, leaving fans in the Superdome frustrated on an evening meant to celebrate the building's resilience.

ceremonial

Connected with a formal occasion.

rout

A crushing and one-sided defeat.

set the tone

To establish the mood of what follows.

scrimmage

The start of a play in American football.

franchise

A sports team that belongs to a league.

wire to wire

From the very start to the very end.

one-sided

Greatly favouring one team or person.

resilience

The ability to recover from hardship.

Level 4 — Advanced

The Atlanta Falcons spoiled a sentimental Monday night in New Orleans, dismantling the Saints 45 to 24 on the 20th anniversary of the Superdome's reopening after Hurricane Katrina, the night in 2006 when the Saints beat the Falcons 23 to 3 and the city exhaled for the first time in a year.

There was little ceremony in Atlanta's approach. Bijan Robinson broke free for a 59-yard touchdown on the third play from scrimmage and went on to amass 145 rushing yards and two scores, while Brian Robinson Jr. contributed three rushing touchdowns. The five combined scores on the ground equalled the franchise's single-game record.

The statistics read like an indictment of New Orleans. Atlanta racked up 420 yards of total offence, 205 of them rushing, and never trailed, whereas the Saints could scrape together only 50 yards on the ground and were forced to chase the game from the opening minutes.

At 2 and 2, the Falcons have steadied a season that had threatened to drift. The Saints, now 1 and 3, face uncomfortable questions about a run defence that offered almost no resistance on an evening that was supposed to honour their city's resilience.

sentimental

Marked by feelings of nostalgia or tenderness.

dismantle

To take apart or defeat thoroughly.

amass

To gather a large amount.

indictment

Something that shows a serious failing.

racked up

Accumulated a total.

scrape together

To gather with difficulty.

steady

To make stable.

resistance

Opposition that slows or stops something.