NFL Week 13: Saints vs. Falcons odds, preview, and pick
New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill (7) runs with the ball against the Atlanta Falcons. (Photo by David John Griffin/Icon Sportswire)
December 4th, 2020
A pair of NFC South rivals will renew acquaintances at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday afternoon (1:00 p.m. ET, FOX) as the New Orleans Saints (9-2) visit the Atlanta Falcons (4-7). These teams met just two weeks ago, with the Saints cruising to a 24-9 victory. Will it be more of the same on Sunday, or will the Falcons turn the tables and pull off the upset? Here’s our betting preview.
Both teams won big in Week 12
The Saints crushed an overmatched Denver Broncos squad last Sunday, beating emergency quarterback Kendall Hinton and company 31-3. It was their fourth straight win and cover.
That's 8 up and 8 down.#Saints show no mercy to the understaffed Broncos and keep climbing. New Orleans is the only NFC team with 9 wins after a 31-3 rout in Denver. pic.twitter.com/h7DVKQRQxY
— SaintsNOW (@SaintsNOW) November 29, 2020
The Falcons ran roughshod on the Las Vegas Raiders last Sunday, emerging with a 43-6 victory. They forced five turnovers in the runaway triumph.
Atlanta is now 4-2 straight-up and against the spread since Raheem Morris assumed head coaching duties.
Saints and Falcons statistics and rankings
| Team | Passing Yards | Rushing Yards | Passing Yards Allowed | Rushing Yards Allowed |
|---|
New Orleans Saints | 231.3 (20th) | 134.7 (7th) | 208.3 (5th) | 76.6 (2nd) |
Atlanta Falcons | 271.4 (5th) | 103.5 (23rd) | 291.5 (31st) | 100.3 (6th) |
Saints’ defense is scary
New Orleans’ throttling of the Broncos last Sunday (112 total yards allowed) was not an isolated incident. Their stoppers have allowed a paltry seven points per game during their four-game winning streak. The Saints defense has tallied 14 sacks and forced 12 turnovers in that span.
FOUR sacks, six tackles, and a pass deflection.@camjordan94 had his way the last time we visited Atlanta 💥 #TBT pic.twitter.com/eZ0xpHR30l
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) December 3, 2020
Eight of those sacks were inflicted on Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, who could once again be without running back Todd Gurley and wide receiver Julio Jones in this one.
Hill headmans balanced New Orleans offense
Saints signal caller Taysom Hill did not flex his muscle through the air last week, but he didn’t have to. Running back Latavius Murray’s 124 rushing yards comprised the bulk of the Saints’ offense in that runaway victory.
In Hill’s first start at quarterback against Atlanta, he threw for 233 yards and rushed for another 49 yards with two touchdowns. Hill, Murray, and running back Alvin Kamara should give Falcons defenders headaches on Sunday.
Taysom Hill made some big-time plays in the New Orleans Saints' win over the Atlanta Falcons 👀 pic.twitter.com/EmDkwTxJGD
— Steven Psihogios (@StevenPsihogios) November 28, 2020
Trends suggest the Saints will cover
New Orleans is 23-9 against the spread in its last 32 games against teams with losing records. The Saints have also covered in 36 of their last 51 road games, including six of their last eight as road favorites.
Sean Payton’s squad has dominated this divisional matchup of late, covering in five of their last six overall against Atlanta and four of the last five games played between these two teams at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Score prediction: Saints 24, Falcons 17
NFL Pick: Saints -3
Wager on all NFL Week 13 games at BetAmerica!
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