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Atlanta Falcons vs New Orleans Saints: Can the Saints stop the bleeding?
The Atlanta Falcons are visiting the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, LA on Sunday.
Can the Falcons reach the playoffs?
The Atlanta Falcons are on top of the NFC South with a 6-3 record, including a perfect 3-0 on the road. The Falcons are coming off a 27-21 win over the Dallas Cowboys, their fifth in the last six games. Kirk Cousins completed 19 of 24 passes for 222 yards, including 13 in a row at one point and three touchdowns. The Falcons are 8th in the league with 364.8 yards per game and are ranked 12th scoring 24.6 points per game.
Can Darren Rizzi save the Saints?
The New Orleans Saints are at the bottom of the NFC South with a 2-7 record, including 1-3 at home. They have the longest active losing streak in the league dropping the last seven games and are coming off a 23-22 loss to the Carolina Panthers, which cost head coach Dennis Allen his job. The Saints are 25th in the league allowing 25.4 points per game and three spots lower allowing 376.4 yards per game.
Betting Trends
The Saints are 0-7 SU in their last 7 games overall, 13-5 SU in their last 18 home games against Atlanta and 1-4 SU in their last 5 games in Week 10. They are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games overall, 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games against teams from the NFC and 1-9 ATS in their last 10 games played in November. New Orleans has played over the total point line in 7 of their last 10 games overall, 5 of their last 7 games against Atlanta, 4 of their last 5 home games and 6 of their last 7 games against teams from the NFC. The Falcons are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games overall, 4-10 SU in their last 14 games against the Saints, and 6-1 SU in their last 7 games against teams from the NFC. They are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall, and 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games in Week 10. Atlanta has played over the total point line in 4 of their last 6 games overall, 4 of their last 5 games on the road and their last 5 games against teams from the NFC South.
Prediction and Conclusion
The New Orleans Saints had a promising start to the season, winning the first two games, but that was it. They lost the following seven, which resulted in a coaching change as Darren Rizzi has replaced Dennis Allen as interim head coach. That will definitely be a breath of fresh air for the Saints but will probably not change a lot. On the other hand, the Atlanta Falcons have one of their best starts in recent history, and this may be the game that will make them a real playoff contender. The Falcons needed a late field goal to beat the Saints at home in Week 4, and this time we expected a much easier win by covering the -3.5-point spread to hand the Saints their eighth consecutive loss.
