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NFL betting odds on the New Orleans Saints vs. Atlanta Falcons opened with the surprising Falcons a -1 home favorite.
"The Atlanta Falcons (5-3 SU, 5-3 ATS, 3-5 O/U) are the biggest and best surprise of the season and have the look of a playoff participant at this point," points out Eric Williams, an analyst for the BetUS.com website.
Rookie quarterback Matt Ryan turned in another strong performance in completing 17 of 22 passes for 220 yards and two touchdowns while elusive running back Michael Turner continued torching opposing defenses by rushing for 139 yards on 31 carries.
Defensive end John Abrams sacked Raiders' struggling quarterback JaMarcus Russell three times and Ryan completed passes to eight different receivers as the Falcons easily covered the spread as 3-point road favorites.
The home team in this series has gone 6-4. New Orleans has gone 7-3 and has won the last 4 in this series, and they have done so decisively.
The Saints are 1-4 Against The Spread in their last 5 games following a ATS win and 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games following a Straight Up win.
The Falcons are 1-10-1 ATS in their last 12 games following a SU win of more than 14 points and 0-5 ATS in their last 5 vs. NFC South.
"I've always liked Drew Brees a bunch and realize the Saints can score the ball like nobody's business, but I like the Falcons to win this contest at home narrowly against a Saints defense that couldn't stop running water on most days," writes Williams. "With this game being a ‘Pick' I think the Falcons are obviously going to cover while I think the teams will narrowly go Over the set O/U total."
New Orleans has not been able to play well on the road (with the exception of London) while Atlanta has won its games at home. Past wins by Atlanta against the Saints have been much closer than New Orleans wins against the Falcons. Not that it matters as the line is -1. If not for the Saints win-one-lose-one play each week we here at Gambling911.com might be more inclined to pick New Orleans here. Instead, we will sit on the sidelines.
Dan Shapiro, Gambling911.com
