NFL Football Betting – Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints
The Atlanta Falcons (8-4 SU & ATS), angling for a playoff spot, get to put a nail in the coffin of the New Orleans Saints (6-6 SU, 8-4 ATS) when the two NFC South rivals meet up at the Louisiana Superdome (artificial turf) in New Orleans. Kickoff time is 1 PM ET.
In the BetUS NFL sports betting odds, the Saints are listed as a three-point favorite, with a posted total of 51 points.
BetUS NFL betting odds: NEW ORLEANS -3, Total 51
NOTABLE STAT: Drew Brees has thrown for 3870 yards
KEY NFL FOOTBALL BETTING TREND: Falcons have covered 19 of last 24 at New Orleans
In the BetUS NFL sports betting odds, the Saints are listed as a three-point favorite, with a posted total of 51 points.
Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup:
* ATL has won and covered four of its last five games
* ATL has played five of its last seven games UNDER the total
* ATL has lost 11 of its last 15 road games SU
* ATL has played five of its last six road games UNDER the total
* NO has covered four of its last five games
* NO has played 12 of its last 17 games OVER the total
* NO has won and covered five of its last six home games
* NO has played nine of its last 11 home games OVER the total
Also…
* NO has covered six of the last nine meetings
* NO has won four of the last five meetings SU
* ATL has covered 19 of the last 24 meetings as the road team
* NO has won four of the last five meetings SU as the home team
* Four of the last five meetings in New Orleans have gone UNDER the total
This one, as much as anything else, becomes a tale of two cities.
Matt Ryan’s stats indicate that he has thrown 13 touchdowns on the year, with just six interceptions. Those figures are down a bit, however, when he steps out on the road. Ryan is just 57% accurate when his Falcons are the visitor, with eight TDs and five picks. Those numbers are not tragic, by any means, but they pale in comparison with what Drew Brees of the Saints has been able to do in the friendly confines of the Superdome. Brees is a 71% passer there, with 17 touchdowns and just four interceptions, and is averaging 336 yards a game. That is the kind of production that can overcome an awful lot.
Here, it will have to overcome New Orleans’ inconsistency in slowing down opposition rushing attacks. The Buccaneers got 149 yards on the ground last week in their 23-20 win over the Saints at Raymond James Stadium. And Atlanta offers big danger in this area, as Michael Turner is third in the league with 1208 rushing yards and has racked up a lot of the MVP points that Brees had been gathering when it looked like his team was still prime playoff contender.
Atlanta is actually the team that has had more of a hard time stopping the run. The Falcons’ defensive line has yielded 4.8 yards a carry, and while New Orleans, even with Reggie Bush in the lineup, may not have a resounding response to that, they should have enough to create the requisite balance that will allow Brees to operate with more impunity.
When reviewing those home stats for Brees, consider that his undoing – and that of New Orleans – in the initial meeting between these teams this season was his three INT’s. And with 521 yards gained, it was the Saints who looked like they should have been on the long end of a 34-20 score, instead of the other way around. Since Brees is much more mistake-free at home, there is a good chance for that kind of turnaround.
Over the years, it used to be an automatic that the Falcons would come into New Orleans and get a cover. Indeed, they’ve done so in 19 of the last 24 seasons. But that trend has been reversing itself of late, with the Saints covering three of the last four meetings on their home turf. Let’s lay it with New Orleans, the three-point favorite in the BetUS NFL pro football sports betting odds.
