Venue/Stadium: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
Time/Date: 8:30 PM ET – Monday December 26, 2011
NFL Odds from Bovada
Money Line: Saints -280
Spread (ATS): Saints -7
Over/Under: 52.5
The only two teams that get to enjoy Christmas Eve and Christmas without having to take the football field, the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons, and both have a lot to prove when they take to the field at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Monday.
The Saints have won six straight and can clinch the division with another home win against a division opponent when they face Atlanta this week, and it will be interesting to see if they can parlay the magic of an overtime win in the first meeting between these teams.
The better team will win the NFC South division this season, and at this point that has to be the Saints. New Orleans ranks first in the NFL in passing yards with Drew Brees on the verge of snapping Dan Marino’s single-season mark as he approaches 5,000 yards, and although he may not set the record in this game, he can certainly inch closer against an Atlanta defense that has struggled at times to contain against some of the better passing teams that they have faced. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
While the Saints continue to cruise with Brees spearheading their offense, the Falcons remain a team that is lost in transition, as they try to turn an offense that was built on a power-running game in to a pass-first unit that loves to hit the quick-strike for points. Atlanta certainly has the personnel to employ that type of system with wide receivers Roddy White and rookie Julio Jones joining tight end Tony Gonzalez, but the fact at this point is that the Falcons are a better team when they are running the ball first, and then using the rush to set up the passing game. Turner ran for just 96 yards in the first meeting of these teams, and unless he gets more touches in this game its hard to imagine the result changing.
It will be interesting to see where Brees stands at the end of these final two regular season games, and whether or not New Orleans gets that coveted first round bye may depend on Brees’ ability to break the record. While the Saints’ offense continues to get all of the credit, the defense deserves some credit too after allowing just one team to reach the 24-point mark during their six-game winning streak.
NFL Betting Pick: New Orleans Saints
