Dec 26 NFL Game: Falcons vs Saints Betting Preview and Prediction
Monday, December 26, 2011
by BetOnline Sportsbook
As if right on cue, the New Orleans Saints are set to host the Atlanta Falcons in a division showdown this weekend with a chance to clinch the NFC South title on the line.
The Saints have won six straight games including an overtime win at Atlanta in their first meeting in order to pull away in the division race, and while they are already in a comfortable position to reach the postseason, their focus now shifts to earning home field advantage and a first round playoff bye as NFL Football betting favorites.
- Atlanta Falcons @ New Orleans Saints
- Monday December 26, 2011 – 8:35 PM ET
- Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
- NFL Betting Lines: New Orleans Saints – 6.5
Although they were able to keep pace in the division race early on, the Falcons have dropped to two games back of New Orleans after a tough overtime loss to the Saints and another at the hands of TJ Yates and the Houston Texans. Head coach Mike Smith continues to preach consistency, as Atlanta does control its own playoff destiny.
Falcons vs Saints Betting Preview: Atlanta Falcons
After spending most of the season trying to develop an offensive identity as a team that transitioned from a power-running game to a pass-first unit, it seems as though things are finally starting to click in Atlanta. The Falcons have scored an average of 36 points in consecutive wins, and just as importantly they are not turning the ball over. Quarterback Matt Ryan threw for 224 yards and three touchdowns in last week’s win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, with Roddy White and Julio Jones combining for 220 yards in that game alone. The Falcons’ defense was just as strong with four forced turnovers, and they now rank in the top-half of the NFL in total defense.
Falcons vs Saints Betting Preview: New Orleans Saints
The Saints are even hotter than Atlanta after posting their sixth straight win, a 42-20 road rout of the Minnesota Vikings in which they registered 573 total yards. Quarterback Drew Brees threw for 412 of those yards and matched a season-high with five touchdown passes against the Vikings, and is now just 305 yards short of Dan Marino’s all-time single-season NFL record of 5,084, set back in 1984. New Orleans has held each of their last three opponents to 20 points or less, and while the defense is still in need of some work, they are at the least taking positive steps in the right direction.
Falcons vs Saints Betting Preview: Outlook & Pick
There is technically still a chance that the Falcons can clinch the division if they can win their final two games and New Orleans can lose both of theirs, but that is a highly unlikely scenario. Brees is putting on an absolute quarterback clinic this year and nobody has been able to stop him so far. Saints’ fans would love to see him break Marino’s record at home against their biggest division rival, and if they can ride the momentum of their six-game winning streak there is a good chance he can get the job done as sportsbook favorites.
Bet Online Sportsbook Falcons vs Saints Betting Pick: The Saints
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