Hoping to extend their undefeated record, the Atlanta Falcons (5-0) travel to take on the New Orleans Saints (1-4). The NFL’s third-leading passer, Matt Ryan (1,456 yards, 6 TDs), and second-leading rusher, Devonta Freeman (405 yards, 8 TDs), will be the players to watch in this game. It will air Thursday, Oct 15 at 8:25 p.m. ET on CBS and NFLN.
This week marks the first time the NFC South rivals have met this season. Atlanta notched wins in both of last year’s regular season games. Terrence Frederick led the Saints defensive effort in the last meeting, recording five tackles. Robert McClain led the defensive effort for Atlanta, recording five tackles and one interception.
Atlanta is a three-point favorite in this game against the Saints. According to the oddsmakers, the Over/Under (O/U) is currently at 51 points.
Sitting at 1-4 Straight Up (SU) and 2-3 Against The Spread (ATS), the Saints will look to improve heading into Week 6. A focal point of New Orleans’s offense is its passing game, which ranks third in the league with 302 passing yards per game.
Across the field, the Falcons head into Week 6 with records of 4-1 ATS and 5-0 SU. They enter the week as the league’s third-best road scoring offense, dropping an average of 31.5 points per away game on opposing defenses. Odds are in favor of Atlanta continuing to rely on its run game against a defense that allows 135.8 rushing yards per game, ranking 30th in the league. Moving on to the Atlanta defense, there are certain areas where it measures up well against the Saints. Opponents have had some trouble with the frightening bunch that is the Atlanta defense. It sits atop the league in rushing yards allowed with 78.4 per game. The Falcons can do damage if they force turnovers from the Saints. The Saints rank 26th in the league in turnovers with two per game. New Orleans will want to keep its intensity through the fourth quarter against the Falcons, who average a league-leading 11.8 points in the final 15 minutes of regulation.
Predictions: SU Winner – Atl, ATS Winner – Atl, O/U – Under
Notes
New Orleans is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games.
New Orleans is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New Orleans’s last 6 games at home.
New Orleans is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games at home.
New Orleans is 12-6 SU in its last 18 games at home.
New Orleans is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New Orleans’s last 5 games when playing Atlanta.
New Orleans is 13-5 SU in its last 18 games when playing Atlanta.
New Orleans is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Atlanta.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of New Orleans’s last 7 games when playing at home against Atlanta.
Atlanta is 2-0 SU when leading at the half this season.
Since the beginning of last season, Atlanta is 5-1 SU against NFC South opponents, while New Orleans is just 3-5 SU against division foes.
Atlanta is rated higher in the ground game on both sides of the ball. Its ninth-ranked rushing attack will face the 30th-ranked run defense of New Orleans, while its first-ranked rush defense will look to contain the 29th-ranked run game of the Saints.
New Orleans has given up 23.0 points per contest at home this year, which ranks it only 20th in the league. Atlanta has scored 31.5 points per game on the road (ranked third overall).
