Falcons and Saints Battle With Playoff Lives on Line

Falcons and Saints Still in NFC South Title Hunt as Well

Sunday when the Falcons and the Saints meet in one of the most underrated rivalries in the NFL. They battle at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Kickoff is set for 1 pm. EST and FOX Sports will have the telecast. The NFL Playoffs start today for these two teams. A victory by either team will not clinch the NFC South title.  A loss would be devastating to either team’s prospects of winning the division. it would also end the possibility to host at least one playoff game. The Carolina Panthers have a lot to say about what goes on as well. They are right in the middle of this 3-way tango. Oddsmakers opened the Saints as -5-point favorites versus the Falcons, while the game’s total opened at 52. The line has held steady most of the week. The Saints have missed the playoffs the last three years by going 7-9 in each of those seasons. They have not played a game of this significance since facing Seattle in the first round of the 2013 playoffs. If the Saints win and Carolina loses at home to Tampa Bay, New Orleans would clinch the NFC South by virtue of its sweep of the Panthers this season.

Second Game in Three Weeks for Teams

The Thursday night game in Atlanta 16 days ago had a little bit of everything for the Saints. Ten players left the field with injuries at some point. Rookie running back Alvin Kamara sustained a concussion on the first series on a helmet-to-helmet tackle by linebacker Deion Jones. The Saints’ defense had pressure all night. They forced Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan into three turnovers. Without Kamara keeping the chains moving, the Saints offense was stuck in running in mud most of the time. Saints coach Sean Payton was caught giving the choke sign late in the game to Atlanta running back Devonta Freeman. He was fined by the NFL earlier this week for entering the field in the final 70 seconds and complaining to the officials. The Saints converted only 3 of 10 third downs in the last meeting. New Orleans normally potent running game was held to 50 yards on 15 attempts. The Saints had six players named to the Pro Bowl this week. They were Brees, Mark Ingram, Kamara, receiver Michael Thomas defensive end Cam Jordan, and rookie cornerback Marshon Lattimore. That is the most since they had seven make it in 2009, their Super Bowl season. The Falcons, who won five of their last six games. They have rebounded from a 4-4 start. They had two players selected to the Pro Bowl. Wide receiver Julio Jones and center Alex Mack. Jones did not practice Wednesday because of ankle and thumb injuries. He is expected to play. Running back Tevin Coleman returned to practice after missing Monday night’s 24-21 victory over Tampa Bay. He had been in concussion protocol. He sustained it against the Saints on Dec. 7.

Here is the NFC Playoff Picture Via CBS Sports.

NFC
Seed	Team	Division	Record
1	(z) Philadelphia	East	12-2-0
2	(y) Minnesota	North	12-3-0
3	Los Angeles	West	10-4-0
4	New Orleans	South	10-4-0
5	Carolina	South	10-4-0
6	Atlanta	South	9-5-0
Still Alive
Seed	Team	Division	Record
7	Detroit	North	8-6-0
8	Seattle	West	8-6-0
9	Dallas	East	8-6-0
Eliminated
Seed	Team	Division	Record
10	Green Bay	North	7-8-0
11	Washington	East	6-8-0
12	Arizona	West	6-8-0
13	Tampa Bay	South	4-10-0
14	San Francisco	West	4-10-0
15	Chicago	North	4-10-0
16	N.Y. Giants	East	2-12-0

 

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES Philadelphia can clinch home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs with: 1.) PHI win MINNESOTA VIKINGS Minnesota can clinch a first-round bye with: 1.) CAR loss or tie LOS ANGELES RAMS Los Angeles can clinch the NFC West division title with: 1.) LAR win or tie OR 2.) SEA loss or tie Los Angeles can clinch a playoff berth with: 1.) DET loss or tie + CAR loss + ATL loss NEW ORLEANS SAINTS New Orleans can clinch the NFC South division title with: 1.) NO win + CAR loss New Orleans can clinch a playoff berth with: 1.) NO win or tie OR 2.) DAL-SEA tie CAROLINA PANTHERS Carolina can clinch a playoff berth with: 1.) CAR win or tie OR 2.) DAL-SEA tie ATLANTA FALCONS Atlanta can clinch a playoff berth with: 1.) ATL win OR 2.) ATL tie + DAL-SEA tie + DET loss or tie

 

Recent Form

Yards Per Pass

Atlanta Falcons

New Orleans Saints

Falcons and Saints Supergrid

Title	Stat	Rank	Stat	Rank
Away Team Overall Scoring vs Home Team Overall Defense	22.71	15	20.14	9
Away Team Road Passing vs Home Team Home Passing Defense	250.71	7	231.00	21
Away Team Road Rushing vs Home Team Home Rushing Defense	116.86	8	117.29	22
Home Team Overall Scoring vs Away Team Overall Defense	28.64	3	20.14	10
Home Team Home Passing vs Away Team Road Passing Defense	284.00	2	221.14	14
Home Team Home Rushing vs Away Team Road Rushing Defense	137.86	7	117.43	19

Falcons and Saints Head To Head Summary

Falcons and Saints Head To Head Detail

Falcons and Saints Betting Trends

Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
Atlanta is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Atlanta’s last 11 games
Atlanta is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Atlanta is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games on the road
Atlanta is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing New Orleans
Atlanta is 8-15 SU in its last 23 games when playing New Orleans
Atlanta is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against New Orleans
Atlanta is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games when playing on the road against New Orleans
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Atlanta’s last 9 games when playing on the road against New Orleans

New Orleans Saints
New Orleans is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
New Orleans is 10-2 SU in its last 12 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of New Orleans’s last 6 games
New Orleans is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 6 of New Orleans’s last 8 games at home
New Orleans is 15-8 SU in its last 23 games when playing Atlanta
New Orleans is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing Atlanta
New Orleans is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Atlanta
New Orleans is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games when playing at home against Atlanta
The total has gone OVER in 6 of New Orleans’s last 9 games when playing at home against Atlanta

Atlanta Falcons

New Orleans Saints

Next up: Atlanta home to Carolina Sunday, December 31 New Orleans at Tampa Bay Sunday, December 31 Get your NFL odds at Bovada today.