Saints at Falcons: NFL Week 13 Game & Analysis

Game: New Orleans Saints (9-2) at Atlanta Falcons (4-7)
Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Time: Sunday, Dec. 6 at 1:00 p.m. ET 
Television: FOX 

Betting Lines

NFL betting is the most popular type of online sports betting, and the regular season is in its final quadrant. There are only a few weeks left to capitalize on these gridiron gambling opportunities, so let’s get to it. Our sportsbook’s most recent NFL odds show the Saints as three-point road favorites vs the Falcons in Atlanta on Sunday.

New Orleans hopes to secure home-field advantage with a few more wins, although it’s debatable how valuable that is now. Saints’ head coach Sean Payton argues that a major edge has been eliminated, since no fans are allowed to attend. Meanwhile, the Falcons have less than a 1% chance of making the postseason, having been virtually eliminated already. Atlanta is going down swinging though, and would love to play the spoiler.

New Orleans Saints

Betting Record

Next game: At Eagles

Last Game

At Broncos

If the Saints thought that they had quarterback problems, the Week 12 battle with the Broncos put everything in perspective. All three of Denver’s rostered quarterbacks were unavailable vs New Orleans, so practice squad WR Kendall Hinton gave it a whirl. The Saints’ D limited Hinton to 13 yards on 1-of-9 passing, forcing two interceptions along the way.

New Orleans allowed 100 yards on the ground, but Denver only managed to squirt three points on the board all game. Saints’ fill-in QB Taysom Hill fared a little better through the air, completing 9-of-16 passes for 78 yards and only throwing one pick. Hill did most of his damage on the ground, scoring two TDs on 44 yards rushing.

The Saints’ rushing attack was on point, amassing 229 total yards and four touchdowns against the vulnerable Broncos’ defense. New Orleans dominated this game in every way, disgracing Denver by a final score of 31-3. The Saints roll into Atlanta with surging momentum, and this battle is shaping up to be a full-speed head-on collision.

Atlanta Falcons

Betting Record

Next game: At Chargers

Last Game

Vs Raiders

The Falcons came out of nowhere in Week 12, slapping the Raiders silly in a home-cooked beatdown. Atlanta reigned in time of possession by almost 10 minutes, and the Falcons’ D forced six turnovers. Raiders’ stud RB Josh Jacobs managed only 27 yards on seven carries, and QB Derek Carr lost three fumbles.

The Atlanta defense was clicking, and the offense didn’t have to do too much to lock down a decisive 43-6 victory. Matt Ryan connected on 22 of his 39 throws, logging 185 yards while tossing two TDs and one interception. RB Ito Smith led the backfield committee with 65 yards on 12 carries, hitting paydirt once.

The big news is that the Falcons put up 46 points without WR Julio Jones (hamstring). Jones might be able to suit up and play vs the Saints, but it’s too soon to know. At least Atlanta’s kicking game is coming up aces. Kicker Younghoe Koo drilled all five of his field goal attempts vs Las Vegas, including a 54-yarder. Koo has only missed one FG all season, connecting on 29-of-30 since Week 1.

Betting on the Game

Point Spread

I’m not suggesting you jump on the Falcons’ bandwagon, just because they blew up on the Raiders last week. However, Atlanta is playing with a fire in its belly, and won’t let New Orleans escape without a fight. The Falcons have a record of 11-3 ATS in their previous 14 games as a home dog. Take Atlanta +3 in this spot.

Moneyline

New Orleans has won eight straight games, and it would be surprising for that streak to be snapped in Atlanta. The Saints are 5-1 straight up against the Falcons over their last six meetings, and should successfully steal this one. New Orleans -165 is pretty nice.

Over/Under

The over has hit in seven of the Saints eleven games this season. Even without Brees in action, New Orleans is averaging 27.5 PPG. We already know that the Falcons are capable of putting up points, and if Jones returns the offense is even more potent. This game projects to be a low-level shootout, so going over 46 total points is in the cards.

Saints 27, Falcons 26