Falcons Open Brutal Stretch to end Season With rival Saints
The New Orleans Saints and the Atlanta Falcons clash at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Thursday in a battle of division rivals. This Thursday Night Football matchup of bitter division rivals will be televised by NBC and the NFL Network. Kickoff is set for 8:25 pm EST. Tonight is the first of two games against Atlanta in three weeks. Oddsmakers opened the Falcons as -1.5-point favorites, while the game’s total opened at 55. The line now shows the Falcons as 2.5-point favorites and the total has dropped down to 51.5.Falcons Have to Come out Aggressive on Offense
In their last action, Atlanta was a 14-9 loser at home against the Minnesota Vikings. They failed to cover the -2-point spread as favorites, while the combined score (23) was profitable news for UNDER bettors. The loss to the Vikings snapped the Falcons’ three-game winning streak. The Falcons averaged 27 points in the three wins. They were held to three field goals by the Vikings’ stout defense. Atlanta cornerback Desmond Trufant has been cleared from his concussion symptoms and will play against the Saints. Starting left guard Andy Levitre has a partially torn triceps and may not play. The Falcons converted only 1-of-10 third downs against Minnesota. Many of them were long-yardage situations, and that can’t happen if the Falcons hope to beat the Saints tonight.Saints Look to Establish the Run Against the Falcons
New Orleans won its last outing 31-21 against the Carolina Panthers on December 03. The Saints covered in that game as a -5.5-point favorite, while the 52 combined points took the game OVER the total. The Saints have made the commitment to pound the run to control the clock. This is also allowing Drew Brees to throw when he wants to rather than when he has to. The backfield duo of Mark Ingram II and Alvin Kamara has been unstoppable this year. The backs accounted for 248 yards from scrimmage against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Ingram did not practice Tuesday because of a toe injury. He is expected to play against the Falcons. Ingram has gained 922 yards and scored nine touchdowns on 180 carries so far this season. Ingram and Kamara are simply doing what they are paid to do. They give the Saints a much needed balance so that every game does not fall on Brees’ right shoulder. Kamara has scored in six consecutive games. He ranks third in the NFL among running backs with 59 catches. Kamara has 1,220 total yards and 11 touchdowns this season and is averaging 8.4 yards per touch. The Saints also may get rookie cornerback Marshon Lattimore back from a sprained ankle. This would help the Saints secondary corral a potent Falcons passing attack.Recent Form
| Name | Record | ATS | Offense | Defense | Diff | ATS Home | ATS Away | OU Record | OU Home | OU Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Orleans | 9-3 | 7-5 | 29.27 | 20.18 | 9.09 | 3-3 | 4-2 | 7-5 | 4-2 | 3-3 |
| Atlanta | 7-5 | 5-7 | 24.09 | 20.91 | 3.18 | 3-3 | 2-4 | 5-7 | 2-4 | 3-3 |
Power Stats
Yards Per Point
| Name | Offense | Defense | Differential |
|---|---|---|---|
| NO | 13.99 | 16.59 | -2.6 |
| ATL | 15.51 | 15.39 | 0.12 |
Yards Per Pass
| Name | Offense | Defense | Differential |
|---|---|---|---|
| NO | 11.01 | 10.70 | 0.31 |
| ATL | 11.52 | 9.18 | 2.34 |
Yards Per Rush
| Name | Offense | Defense | Differential |
|---|---|---|---|
| NO | 4.95 | 4.60 | 0.35 |
| ATL | 4.44 | 4.43 | 0.01 |
Team Records
New Orleans Saints
| Name | Record | Home | Away | ATS | ATS Home | ATS Away | Offense | Defense | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 9-3 | 5-1 | 4-2 | 7-5 | 3-3 | 4-2 | 29.42 | 20.25 | 9.17 |
| vs Conf | 7-2 | 5-0 | 2-2 | 5-4 | 3-2 | 2-2 | 29.56 | 21.89 | 7.67 |
| vs Div | 1-0 | 0-0 | 1-0 | 1-0 | 0-0 | 1-0 | 34.00 | 13.00 | 21.00 |
| Last 3 | 2-1 | 2-0 | 0-1 | 1-2 | 1-1 | 0-1 | 28.33 | 26.00 | 2.33 |
Atlanta Falcons
| Name | Record | Home | Away | ATS | ATS Home | ATS Away | Offense | Defense | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 7-5 | 3-3 | 4-2 | 5-7 | 3-3 | 2-4 | 22.83 | 20.33 | 2.50 |
| vs Conf | 6-2 | 3-1 | 3-1 | 5-3 | 3-1 | 2-2 | 26.00 | 19.75 | 6.25 |
| vs Div | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 17.00 | 20.00 | -3.00 |
| Last 3 | 2-1 | 1-1 | 1-0 | 2-1 | 1-1 | 1-0 | 25.67 | 21.67 | 4.00 |
Supergrid
| Title | Stat | Rank | Stat | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Away Team Overall Scoring vs Home Team Overall Defense | 29.42 | 3 | 20.33 | 13 |
| Away Team Road Passing vs Home Team Home Passing Defense | 248.17 | 8 | 205.83 | 9 |
| Away Team Road Rushing vs Home Team Home Rushing Defense | 146.17 | 2 | 103.33 | 13 |
| Home Team Overall Scoring vs Away Team Overall Defense | 22.83 | 14 | 20.25 | 12 |
| Home Team Home Passing vs Away Team Road Passing Defense | 241.50 | 15 | 193.33 | 3 |
| Home Team Home Rushing vs Away Team Road Rushing Defense | 128.67 | 10 | 109.50 | 11 |
Head To Head Summary
| Name | Record | ATS | OU | Score | Rush | YPR | PA | CP | PY | TY | TO +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Orleans | 5-5 | 5-5 | 4-5-1 | 24.70 | 102.10 | 4.05 | 42.50 | 66.82 | 317.00 | 419.10 | 1.70 |
| Atlanta | 5-5 | 5-5 | 4-5-1 | 26.80 | 115.40 | 5.15 | 39.10 | 68.80 | 301.50 | 416.90 | 1.10 |
Head To Head Detail
| Date | Away | Home | Score | Line | Total | OU Result | ARY | APY | ATY | ATT | HRY | HPY | HTY | HTT | Away Team Attempts | Home Team Attempts | Away Team Completions | Home Team Completions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 1, 2017 | NO | ATL | 32-38 | 132 | 341 | 473 | 1 | 142 | 323 | 465 | 0 | |||||||
| Sep 26, 2016 | ATL | NO | 45-32 | 217 | 225 | 442 | 0 | 115 | 359 | 474 | 2 | |||||||
| Jan 3, 2016 | NO | ATL | 20-17 | 67 | 323 | 390 | 1 | 92 | 327 | 419 | 2 | |||||||
| Oct 15, 2015 | ATL | NO | 21-31 | 150 | 263 | 413 | 3 | 81 | 304 | 385 | 0 | |||||||
| Dec 21, 2014 | ATL | NO | 30-14 | 81 | 322 | 403 | 0 | 57 | 271 | 328 | 4 | |||||||
| Sep 7, 2014 | NO | ATL | 34-37 | 139 | 333 | 472 | 2 | 123 | 445 | 568 | 1 | |||||||
| Nov 21, 2013 | NO | ATL | 17-13 | 103 | 271 | 374 | 0 | 91 | 264 | 355 | 1 | |||||||
| Sep 8, 2013 | ATL | NO | 17-23 | 88 | 279 | 367 | 2 | 78 | 341 | 419 | 1 | |||||||
| Nov 29, 2012 | NO | ATL | 13-23 | 101 | 335 | 436 | 5 | 124 | 159 | 283 | 1 | |||||||
| Nov 11, 2012 | ATL | NO | 27-31 | 46 | 408 | 454 | 1 | 148 | 292 | 440 | 1 |
NFL Betting Trends
| New Orleans Saints | ||
|---|---|---|
| New Orleans is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games | ||
| New Orleans is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games | ||
| The total has gone OVER in 10 of New Orleans’s last 15 games | ||
| New Orleans is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road | ||
| New Orleans is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road | ||
| New Orleans is 15-7 SU in its last 22 games when playing Atlanta | ||
| New Orleans is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Atlanta | ||
| The total has gone UNDER in 6 of New Orleans’s last 8 games when playing on the road against Atlanta | ||
Atlanta Falcons |
||
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games | ||
| Atlanta is 13-6 SU in its last 19 games | ||
| The total has gone OVER in 17 of Atlanta’s last 25 games | ||
| The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Atlanta’s last 9 games | ||
| The total has gone OVER in 13 of Atlanta’s last 17 games at home | ||
| The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Atlanta’s last 5 games at home | ||
| Atlanta is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing New Orleans | ||
| Atlanta is 7-15 SU in its last 22 games when playing New Orleans | ||
| The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Atlanta’s last 8 games when playing at home against New Orleans | ||
Team Last 5 Games
New Orleans Saints
| Date | Opponent | score | Result | line | ATS Result | offensive rush yards | offensive passing yards | offensive total yards | defensive rush yards | defensive passing yards | defensive total yards | turnovers | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 3, 2017 | CAR | 31-21 | W | -5.5/47.5 | W/O | 148 | 252 | 400 | 112 | 167 | 279 | 0 | H |
| Nov 26, 2017 | LAR | 20-26 | L | 2.5/54 | L/U | 123 | 223 | 346 | 88 | 327 | 415 | -1 | A |
| Nov 19, 2017 | WAS | 34-31 | W | -9.5/52.5 | L/O | 160 | 375 | 535 | 156 | 300 | 456 | 1 | H |
| Nov 12, 2017 | BUF | 47-10 | W | -2/48 | W/O | 298 | 184 | 482 | 69 | 129 | 198 | 0 | A |
| Nov 5, 2017 | TB | 30-10 | W | -7/54 | W/U | 151 | 256 | 407 | 87 | 113 | 200 | 1 | H |
Atlanta Falcons
| Date | Opponent | score | Result | line | ATS Result | offensive rush yards | offensive passing yards | offensive total yards | defensive rush yards | defensive passing yards | defensive total yards | turnovers | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 3, 2017 | MIN | 9-14 | L | -2/48.5 | L/U | 102 | 173 | 275 | 105 | 207 | 312 | 0 | H |
| Nov 26, 2017 | TB | 34-20 | W | -10/47 | W/O | 148 | 368 | 516 | 94 | 279 | 373 | 1 | H |
| Nov 20, 2017 | SEA | 34-31 | W | -0/46 | W/O | 89 | 190 | 279 | 136 | 224 | 360 | -1 | A |
| Nov 12, 2017 | DAL | 27-7 | W | -3.5/49 | W/U | 132 | 204 | 336 | 107 | 126 | 233 | -1 | H |
| Nov 5, 2017 | CAR | 17-20 | L | -3/42 | L/U | 53 | 302 | 355 | 201 | 129 | 330 | -1 | A |
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