Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints NFL Preview and Odds
The Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints have a long time NFL rivalry. They both came into the NFL in the 1960s and were placed in the NFC West after the merger between the AFL and NFL in 1970. The NFC West was two California teams, (Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers) and the two from the south. So naturally, the Rams and Niners was a big rivalry and so was Falcons-Saints. It was often referred to as the "Dixie Championship" or the "Southern Showdown" series.
History
The Falcons lead the all time series 46-40 with one postseason win, in a 1991 NFC Wild Card playoff 27-10. Oddly enough Morten Andersen is the leading scorer in both franchises history. The fans see the other as their biggest rival. Often, visiting fans charter buses to the other's home games and it is a party. People say if you haven't been to a Falcons Saints game, you are missing quite a party. I've not been to one but I have attended a Falcons Bucs game and yes, it was off the hook. So I can only imagine bringing that party to Bourbon Street.
The Falcons were the opponents when New Orleans re-opened the Superdome following Hurricane Katrina. That game was almost like a Super Bowl atmosphere. No other team should have been there but the Falcons. The game was the highest rated program ever on ESPN and the second highest ever on cable.
Our Pick
Pinnacle has the Falcons -1 1.833 or 1.787 and the Saints +1 2.110 or 2.150. Over/under on the game is 53.5.
That seems like an awfully tight point spread for a game between an 8-0 Falcons and a 3-5 Saints. But the game is in New Orleans, and that will help the Saints. Theirs is one of the league's toughest home fields. Plus, New Orleans is 3-1 in the last four games, so they are trending upward. They beat a tough Philadelphia Eagles team on Monday and a tough Tampa Bay Buccaneers team three weeks ago, a game they went from 14 points down to 14 point ahead in the second half. Plus, the later the season gets, the more likely an unbeaten team will lose. The pressure mounts a bit more each week. Their opponents bring it a little more every week.
But even will all of that, we still like the Falcons in this one. They have the weapons in Matt Ryan, Michael Turner, Julio Jones, Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez to attack one of the NFL's worst defenses. Drew Brees and the offense will be able to keep the game close. We know Brees is good for at least one touchdown pass as he's now had one in 51 straight games. But we are still going with Atlanta -1 and the over.
