The Atlanta Falcons will travel to take on the New Orleans Saints in a Sunday afternoon NFL matchup at the Caesars Superdome. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our NFL odds series, which includes a Falcons-Saints prediction and pick, laid out below.
Atlanta has gone 5-8 this season, second place in the NFC South, where a 9-8 season may win the division. Now, head coach Arthur Smith is making a quarterback change after losing four of the last five games. Rookie Desmond Ridder will see his first NFL action this week.
New Orleans has been even worse, going 4-9 to sit in last place in the NFC South. Nothing has gone right for new head coach Dennis Allen. The Saints are likely in the beginning of a rebuild, as both Sean Payton and Drew Brees no longer work for the team.
Here are the Falcons-Saints NFL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NFL Odds: Falcons-Saints Odds
Atlanta Falcons: +4 (-110)
New Orleans Saints: -4 (-110)
Over: 43.5 (-110)
Under: 43.5 (-110)
Why The Falcons Could Cover The Spread
As mentioned above, Desmond Ridder will not only be making his first NFL start but also will make his NFL debut in this one. Ridder was drafted in the third round this season after a standout career at Cincinnati. Marcus Mariota, who Ridder is replacing, had thrown for 2,219 yards with 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Tyler Allgeier leads the team with 604 rushing yards, scoring a touchdown on the ground. Cordarrelle Patterson has rushed for 566 yards and leads the team with five rushing touchdowns. Atlanta has rushed for 2,066 yards and 12 touchdowns as a team. New Orleans has allowed 1,625 rushing yards to their opponents.
Rookie Drake London has been a solid contributor, leading the team with 533 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Olamide Zaccheaus is second with 478 receiving yards and two touchdown catches. Atlanta has averaged 22.2 points per game, which is 16th in the league.
Atlanta's struggles can be traced directly to their defense, which has allowed 24.0 points per game, 22nd in the league. Atlanta has managed to sack their opponents 17 times, while New Orleans has surrendered 28 sacks. New Orleans has thrown 12 interceptions, so Atlanta can take advantage of that.
Why The Saints Could Cover The Spread
Andy Dalton has assumed the quarterbacking duties for New Orleans, completing 66.9 percent of his passes for 2,252 yards with 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Alvin Kamara has led a balanced rushing attack for New Orleans, with 550 rushing yards and a touchdown. Taysom Hill leads the team with five rushing touchdowns and is second with 419 rushing yards. New Orleans has rushed for 1,424 yards and nine touchdowns as a team. Atlanta has allowed 1,684 rushing yards to their opponents.
Rookie Chris Olave, the team's first-round pick last season, leads the team with 887 receiving yards, scoring three touchdowns. Juwan Johnson leads the team with five receiving touchdowns. Olave has been a breath of fresh air after Michael Thomas is once again lost for the season. New Orleans has averaged 20.4 points per game, which is 21st in the league.
New Orleans' defense has been slightly better, ranking 17th by allowing 22.8 points per game to their opponents. Demario Davis leads the team with six and a half sacks, while New Orleans has totaled 34 sacks as a team. Facing a rookie quarterback, the New Orleans pass rush could be a problem.
Final Falcons-Saints Prediction & Pick
Rookie quarterbacks cannot ask for an easier debut than New Orleans. Still, I'd give the slightest of advantages to New Orleans. I do think Atlanta can cover though.
Final Falcons-Saints Prediction & Pick: Atlanta +4 (-110), over 43.5 (-110)
Follow Us
Subscribe