Thursday Nigh Football Preview: Saints versus Falcons 2
We are going to kick off Week 13 in the NFL with a rivalry that I think is the rivalry of the last decade and one that is easily the rivalry of the year.  Tomorrow night in Atlanta the Falcons will host the re-surging New Orleans Saints.
I already highlighted the storied history of this modern rivalry when this team squared off in Week 10 so we will focus on the game itself and the big story to follow going into this game.
The huge storyline going into this game is that this is a sequel to a very close game that these two teams played a few weeks ago in Week 10. In that game the Saints spoiled the Falcons dreams of an undefeated season by defeating the falcons in a very close game 27-31. The Falcons only loss still comes from this game. They sit at 10-1. They will be looking to get a little revenge against the Saints in this game for handing them their only loss.
Atlanta wants to win this game for more than just the glory, however. If Atlanta wins they could clinch a spot in the playoffs if a couple of other contenders lose in Week 13. Even if those teams do not lose, The Falcons still inch closer to what will an inevitable playoff run for the team. The quicker they clinch that spot the quicker this team can take a sigh of relief.
The Saints have had their last year New York Giants-like resurgence stifled by the San Francisco 49ers last week. They lost 31-21 in what was not
exactly a close game. The Saints need to regain their momentum if they want to maintain playoff hopes. They sit at 5-6 after their loss to the ‘Niners and the clock is ticking on the season. They need this win. A loss this week puts them out of the playoffs and kills all their momentum in my opinion.
This will be a high scoring game as the Falcons offense will have to win by simply outscoring the awe-inspiring Drew Brees. The Falcons will not get much resistance from the Saints horrible defense so I expect a close but high score. If you like to bet on over/under betting over may be the safe option. The over/under is currently at 55.5 points. During their last game the combined score was 58 points.
The Falcons are the favorites with a point spread of -3.5. Can the Saints win against the spread again? I hesitate to say yes or no. I do not like to ever count out Drew Brees, but the Falcons are the undisputed better team. The better way to ask that question would be to ask “can the Saints get lucky again?”.
The money line to bet on the Falcons is at -180. The Saints money line is at +160.
