Atlanta Falcons (5-8) vs. New Orleans Saints (4-9)
December 18, 2022 1:00 pm EDT
The Line: New Orleans Saints -3.5 / Atlanta Falcons +3.5; Over/Under: 42
(Get latest betting odds)
The Atlanta Falcons and the New Orleans Saints meet Sunday in NFL action from Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Atlanta is 5-8 overall this year and coming off a bye. The Falcons last played in a loss to Pittsburgh. As for New Orleans, they had an open week as well following a loss to the Buccaneers on December 5. Check back all season long for free NFL picks at Sports Chat Place.
Atlanta went 3-4 over their first seven games this year, losing to the Saints, Rams, Buccaneers and Bengals. Since then it’s been a 2-4 run for the Falcons featuring losses to the Chargers, Panthers, Commanders and Steelers.
Back on December 4 versus the Steelers, the Falcons trailed 16-6 by the break. Atlanta managed to get closer in the second half but ultimately lost 19-16. QB Marcus Mariota threw for 167 yards with one TD and one pick. Drake London caught six balls for 95 yards.
Over on the New Orleans side, they hit a 2-5 run over their first seven games. The losses in that time were to the Buccaneers, Panthers, Vikings, Bengals and Cardinals. New Orleans is 2-4 in the six games since with losses to the Ravens, Steelers, 49ers and Bucs.
In the Tampa Bay game on December 5, the Saints held a 13-3 lead going into the fourth quarter. New Orleans was outscored 14-3 from there in a 17-16 loss. QB Andy Dalton put up 229 yards and a TD. Rashid Shaheed led the receivers on 75 yards from four grabs.
The Falcons are 5-2 ATS in their last seven after a bye week and 5-2 ATS in their last seven in Week 15. Atlanta is 1-6 ATS in their last seven overall.
Meanwhile, the Saints are 1-4 ATS in their last five after an ATS win and 0-4 ATS in their last four after a bye week. New Orleans is 5-2 ATS in their last seven after a straight-up loss.
PICK: I’m leaning toward the Saints here. Probably not going near it, though; you could make a good case either way. That said, New Orleans has had an extra week to think about their tough loss to Tampa Bay. The Saints posted 298 total yards (232 passing) with zero turnovers in the defeat, but also had just 14 first downs and a 5-of-14 rate on third-down conversions.
As for Atlanta, they went just 3-of-10 on third downs in their loss to the Steelers, posting 18 first downs along the way. The Falcons may have issues with the New Orleans defense; the Saints have given up 20 or fewer points in four straight games. If the offense can post an average effort on the other side, New Orleans should be okay cover-wise.
