Falcons-Saints Week 15 Odds, Lines and Spread
The Falcons and Saints have nine combined wins and yet their Week 15 meeting in the Caesars Superdome has playoff implications.
That’s life in the NFC South this season.
New Orleans left Atlanta with a dramatic, 27-26 win in Week 1, which continued its recent stretch of dominance in the all-time series. The Saints, who have won four of the last five games against the Falcons, are favored at home and will be up against a rookie quarterback making his first career start.
With the first-place Buccaneers still within reach, Arthur Smith is turning to Desmond Ridder under center. The decision to make the move at quarterback away from veteran Marcus Mariota was announced during the team’s Week 13 bye and Mariota (knee) is now on injured reserve. New Orleans will also be starting a different quarterback than when these teams last played. Jameis Winston started the opener, but it’s been Andy Dalton from Week 3 on.
Falcons vs. Saints Odds
Moneyline: Falcons (+165) | Saints (-200)
Spread: ATL +4.5 (-110) | NO -4.5 (-110)
Total: 43.5 – Over (-110) | Under (-110)
Game Info: Dec. 18, 2022 | 1 p.m. ET | Fox
Falcons Straight-Up Record: 5–8
Falcons Against the Spread Record: 7–6
Saints Straight-Up Record: 4–9
Saints Against the Spread Record: 5–8
The Saints and Falcons both dropped two in a row entering this matchup. The former lost on the road to the 49ers and Buccaneers, while the latter fell against the Commanders on the road and Steelers at home. New Orleans, also coming off its bye week, is 3–4 at home this year and Atlanta is just 1–5 in away games.
The Falcons rank in the middle of the pack in scoring (22.2 points per game) with their unique offensive approach. Only the Bears pass at a lower rate than Atlanta, which averages the fourth-most rushing yards in the league (158.9) and second-fewest passing yards (155.7). Perhaps that approach changes with Ridder in at quarterback and rookie receiver Drake London gets more work, though it’s more likely the first-year quarterback from Cincinnati spends much of the game handing the ball off to Cordarrelle Patterson and Tyler Allgeier.
On the other side of the ball, the Falcons allow the 10th-most points (24) and get burnt through the air (251.1 yards per game) and on the ground (129.5). Atlanta’s pass rush struggles to get to the quarterback and ranks 31st in sacks (17).
Dale Zanine/USA TODAY Sports
Despite the Saints’ offensive weapons, they rank in the bottom half of the league in scoring (20.4 points per game). It’s been a down year for running back Alvin Kamara and, as such, the team has one of the worst rushing attacks in the NFL (109.5 yards per game). New Orleans has more success through the air, primarily due to the emergence of rookie receiver Chris Olave, who’s closing in on an 1,000-yard season. The Dalton-led aerial attack ranks 11th in yards per game (233.9).
Saints teams are often known for their defense but losses on that side of the ball have hampered their success. They rank near the middle of the league in points allowed (22.8) despite a top-10 passing defense (203.2 yards per game). Opponents find more success on the ground against (125 yards per game) relatively speaking, and the Saints have forced the fewest turnovers in the NFL (nine).
Odds and Betting Insights
The Falcons are 1–6 against the spread in their last seven games, though they are 3–2 as a road underdog this season. The under is 5–1 in the last six Saints’ games and they have covered in two of their last three games.
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