Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints Odds

Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints odds for Monday Night Football had most books offering a line of New Orleans -12 though SBG Global had the Saints at -11 1/2.  Around 65 percent of the backing was going towards New Orleans. 

From NFL.com:

While the Falcons boast some of the league's elite offensive talent, the team has struggled to develop that extra option to take some pressure off Ryan, Michael Turner, Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez. Last year, backup RB Jerious Norwood provided a spark, but he has struggled with injuries this season. Atlanta needs Michael Jenkins, Brian Finneran or Jason Snelling to emerge as a seondary weapon.

Darren Sharper has not only provided the Saints with a veteran presence on defense, but he gives the secondary a playmaker that is a threat to score any time he picks off a pass. He will likely try to bait a suddenly errant Matt Ryan, who has thrown five interceptions in his past three games, into a mistake.

From Scout.com:

This is the most explosive offense in the NFL, and while we think of the Saints as a pass-happy group, the fact is their offensive balance is terrific. Through six games, they've thrown 197 times and run 200 times. They can play any style of offense and they can keep the Atlanta defense off-balance by throwing in run situations and running in pass situations. Payton looks for matchups he can exploit, and he will move guys around before the snap to get that matchup. This is also an offense that never panics, and it is almost impossible to get them out of their game plan. Payton will keep Atlanta off-balance all day.

By nature, the Falcons prefer to play mostly Cover-2 schemes with limited blitzing, and they are not a good man-to-man group on the back end. That is a bad scheme against a deep and smart Saints receiving corps that can attack zones and find the soft spots. The best way to stop these guys is to get physical at the line of scrimmage and reroute the Saints receivers as they release, but that is not the way the Falcons will likely play; this is a tough matchup for their defensive front seven.

The offensive line of the Saints is one of the most underrated units in the NFL even though they don't have a lot of big names. They do a nice job in pass protections and run blocking and they are helped by the ability of Brees to get the ball out quickly. Atlanta is not a big sack team, so you'd think they might blitz a lot to create pressure here -- but they also do not want to put a "coverage-challenged" secondary on an island. Look for the Falcons to bring some overload pressure from the defensive right side over young OLT Jermon Bushrod.

New Orleans has won 5 of the last 6 against Atlanta.  The last time they played the Falcons resulted in a winning margin of only 4 points, however, 3 of the 5 recent wins were by more than the current spread.

Here are some important Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints Odds trends to consider before placing a bet on this game:

The Falcons are 8-1 ATS in their last 9 games following a S.U. loss.

The Falcons are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 vs. NFC South.

The Saints are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games as a home favorite.

The Saints are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 home games.

Saints are 7-1-1 ATS in their last 9 vs. NFC.

Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher