The season is still far from over for the Atlanta Falcons. Despite suffering back-to-back losses, the Falcons can vault back into the thick of the laughably bad NFC South title chase with a big road win over their rivals, the New Orleans Saints.
The Saints have not been so super at the Superdome this season, but Drew Brees and the Saints offense remains as dangerous as any in this league. Can they finally end their home losing skid against the Falcons?
In other big division games with playoff implications, the streaking Seattle Seahawks take on the ailing Arizona Cardinals as they continue their hunt for the NFC West lead. Check out our preview of that game here. Meanwhile, read on below for this NFC South showdown.
[sc:Football ]
Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints Betting Preview and Prediction
Where: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans
When: Sunday, December 21, 1:00 PM ET
Line: Atlanta Falcons (+6) at New Orleans Saints (-6); total 56.0 – see all NFL lines
Betting on the Atlanta Falcons
After consecutive losses to the Packers and Steelers, the Atlanta Falcons have very little margin for error remaining in their quest for an improbable playoff berth. The Falcons will need to win both their remaining games in order to stand any chance, beginning with the current division-leading Saints.
But in order to do that, the Falcons will most probably need star receiver Julio Jones healthy and ready to go. Jones sat out the Falcons’ 27-20 home loss to the Steelers after injuring his hip against Green Bay. Jones torched the Packers for a new career-high of 259 receiving yards before exiting.
Harry Douglas filled in ably for Jones with 10 catches for 131 yards in a losing effort against the Steelers, but Jones’ presence and ability to make big plays is still vital for the Falcons’ chances. Nevertheless, expect quarterback Matt Ryan, who thrown for 300-plus yards in three straight games, to be able to move the ball comfortably against the Saints’ pass defense which is 30th in yards allowed per game.
Ryan set a new career-high with 448 passing yards and three touchdowns to lead the Falcons to a thrilling 37-34 overtime win over New Orleans back in Week 1, with 116 of those yards going to Jones.
The total has gone over in five of the Falcons’ last six visits to the Superdome.
Betting on the New Orleans Saints
This season’s New Orleans Saints ain’t the same team of past years. Not only have they regressed from a juggernaut good for 10 to 12 wins each season into a mediocre sub-.500 side, they’ve also flipped from being a dominant home team into a very lousy one. The Saints are currently on a four-game losing skid at the Superdome, including a humiliating 41-10 pounding at the hands of the Carolina Panthers.
Quarterback Drew Brees deserves his share of the blame for the Saints’ struggles this season, but when he’s on, the Saints are still very hard to stop offensively. He was on in their big road wins over the Steelers and Bears, wherein he completed over 70 percent of his passes and threw for eight touchdowns with no interceptions.
However, Brees has been unable to consistently translate that type of performance inside the Dome. Three of his lowest-rated games this season have come at home. This includes his season-worst 69.7 rating against the Panthers which came one week after torching the Steelers for five scores.
Maybe having a healthy Jimmy Graham is just what Brees needs to settle down at home. The star tight end had one of his best games in a while in their 31-15 Monday night mauling of the Bears. Graham finished with five catches for 87 yards, including a season-long 29-yard grab.
Facing the Falcons has also been one of the Saints’ recipes for home success. They’re 8-2 (7-3 against the spread) in their last 10 games against Atlanta at home.
Writer’s Prediction
Brees leads the Saints to a home win but the Falcons find a way to cover on the road. Create a betting account now and don’t waste another game in the final two weeks of the NFL regular season.
