Pro Football Odds — Saints Try to Keep Winning as They Face Wounded Falcons
Written By Charles Jay
The New Orleans Saints are a team that is pretty confident of making i to the NFL playoffs this season. The question is how they are going to go into the post-season and how many home games they might have, On Thursday night they visit the hated Atlanta Falcons, who are in a down cycle to say the least. The game kicks off at 8:25 PM ET at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.
The Falcons are out of the playoff chase with a 2-8 record. The Saints lead the NFC South, but they are hardly in control, as Carolina is just a game behind. But there is hope that the Saints can gain home field advantage in the playoffs, and winning both this week and next week at Seattle would be positive steps toward that end.
In the pro football odds that are posted on this game at BetAnySports, the Saints are favored by more than a touchdown:
Pro Football Odds Courtesy of BetAnySports USA Sportsbook & Live Dealer Casino
New Orleans Saints -8
Atlanta Falcons +8
Over 53 Points -110
Under 53 Points -110
Matt Ryan has always been formidable when he has played in the Georgia Dome, leading the Falcons to a 35-8 record, and even this season he has thrown only one interception in five home games with ten TD passes. But he’s got a team around him that is very dispirited by their inability to remain in the hunt for a playoff spot. After all, they have made the playoffs the last three season. In each of the last four weeks, the Falcons have looked to pro football bettors like a team that has already made plans for all of its off-season golf outings. They have dropped these last four games by a total of 74 points.
At the same time they are fighting off the Panthers in the division, the Saints (now +735 at BetAnySports to win the Super Bowl) are just a game in back of Seattle for the best record in the NFC, and they have a chance to get a leg up when they go to Century Link Field on December 2. This is a team that has had difficulty running the football all year long, though they continue to try. And even though this defense has improved, there is still some vulnerability against the run (allowing 4.9 yards per carry). But NFL bettors have to wonder whether Atlanta has enough to exploit it. Steven Jackson (only 192 rushing yards) has been slowed by injuries and hasn’t been the threat they hoped he’d when they picked him up as a free agent in the off-season.
Drew Brees has a slick 26-8 ratio of touchdowns to interceptions, and that fits in well with what the Falcons have done on defense, because Atlanta has picked off only six enemy passes and yielded 21 TD passes. Pierre Thomas (+450 to score the Saints’ first TD according to BetAnySports), who’s had 413 yards, may have more success against Atlanta’s soft front (4.6 ypc allowed) than Jackson or Jacquizz Rodgers might have against New Orleans.
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