Saints at Falcons: Preview, prediction, odds and pick
By John Buhler
The Atlanta Falcons will host the New Orleans Saints on Thursday Night Football in Week 14. Here is a game preview, the betting odds and final score pick.
We have a fantastic rivalry game on tap for your enjoyment on Thursday Night Football this week. The Atlanta Falcons (7-5) will host the New Orleans Saints (9-3) for an 8:25 p.m. ET kickoff at brand-new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Dec. 7. NBC, the NFL Network and Amazon Prime will all carry the game.
New Orleans enters play at 9-3 on the year and in first place in the NFC South race. The Saints would be the No. 4 seed in the NFC playoffs if the season ended after Week 13. New Orleans is on fire, having won nine of its last 10 games. With a win over Atlanta in Atlanta, the Saints could creep ever closer to capture its first division crown since 2011.
Atlanta enters play at 7-5 on the year and in third place in the NFC South. The Falcons are two games back of the Saints in the NFC South race and a game back of the Seattle Seahawks (8-4) for the No. 6 seed in the NFC playoffs.
Atlanta lost a game last week versus the red-hot Minnesota Vikings in which the Falcons couldn’t score a touchdown at home. It’s only divisional games left for Atlanta. How they play in NFC South play in the final quarter will decide who comes out of this division.
Betting Odds
Point Spread: Atlanta +1.5
Moneylines: New Orleans -118, Atlanta +120
Over/Under: 53
According to OddsShark, the Falcons will be getting 1.5 points at home from the visiting Saints. The associated moneylines for this game are New Orleans -118 and Atlanta +120. This game’s over/under comes in at a combined 53 points.
The Falcons and Saints have one of the best rivalries in the NFL today. These two teams absolutely hate each other. They have played so many times over the last 50 years, first in the old NFC West and now in the always competitive NFC South. You know that both teams will want to win this game in the worst way.
Typically, this rivalry game resolves into a shootout in a dome between Drew Brees and Matt Ryan. With that in mind, let’s take the over, as we should expect more than 53 combined points in this ball game. Here is what could happen on Thursday night.
It will be a back and forth game. Atlanta will take a 21-14 lead into halftime. New Orleans will come out and score touchdowns on its first two possessions in the third quarter to take a 28-21 lead over Atlanta.
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Ryan will lead the Falcons down the field on a game-tying touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter. A dumb defensive pass interference on an Atlanta defensive back will allow Brees to do just enough to get Wil Lutz into field goal range. Lutz makes the game-winning 48-yard field goal to sink his hometown Falcons, 31-28. New Orleans wins and covers the 1.5-point spread.
Pick: Saints 31, Falcons 28