Falcons vs. Saints Point Spread: NFL Week 9 Odds, Prediction
The New Orleans Saints aim to pull even with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers atop the NFC South standings with a fourth straight win when they host the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday in NFL Week 9 action. The Saints are coming off a 36-27 win over the Bucs, but have been beset by key injuries, particularly on offence. The Falcons look to rebound from last week’s 19-13 loss to the visiting Carolina Panthers as they travel to the Big Easy in search of a fourth win in six outings.
The Saints are 6.5-point favourites to win on the NFL odds, with a total of 42.0.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
The Falcons made gains early in the week after opening as 5.5-point underdogs, but with 59 per cent of sports bettors backing New Orleans, the Saints are currently holding steady as 6.5-point chalk. Injury woes faced by both these teams have impacted the total, which opened at 45.5, but has since steadily dipped to its present position at just 42.0.
Sunday afternoon’s matchup at Caesars Superdome marks the first meeting of the season between these divisional rivals. The Saints swept Atlanta last season, including a decisive 24-9 home victory, and have now earned the straight up and against the spread win in six of their past seven meetings. With the Falcons consistently struggling to generate offence when facing New Orleans, averaging just 14.3 points per game while losing three straight, the UNDER currently enjoys a steady 7-1 run in totals betting.
Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons offence was dealt a severe blow this week by receiver Calvin Ridley’s decision to step away from the team. Atlanta’s top receiver last season, Ridley has cited concerns about his mental health as the reason for leaving the team. The Falcons will be looking to rookie Kyle Pitts to fill the void. The fourth overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft topped 100 receiving yards in Atlanta’s recent victories over the New York Jets and Miami, but was limited to just 13 yards on two catches in last week’s loss. And after a middling performance versus the Panthers, quarterback Matt Ryan aims to bounce back against a Saints pass defence that has twice allowed over 350 passing yards over their past four outings, and 10 total scoring passes over their past six games.
New Orleans Saints
After losing starting quarterback Jameis Winston to a season-ending knee injury in last week’s win over Tampa Bay, the status of pivot Taysom Hill is also uncertain as he deals with a concussion that has limited him in practice this week. Should Hill be unable to go, look for the Saints to once again turn over the ball to Trevor Siemian. The journeyman passer guided New Orleans to last weekend’s comeback victory after Winston was forced out of the contest. Further complicating matters for the Saints’ 31st-ranked passing game is the absence of Michael Thomas. The two-time NFL receptions leader has reportedly suffered a setback as he tries to recover from an ankle injury that has sidelined him all season.
ATL
NO