Saints vs. Falcons Final Score Prediction for NFL Week 18 (Bet Saints to Be in Close Battle vs. Falcons)

Iain MacMillan | 1 Hour Ago

Bet on the Saints to cover as underdogs against the Falcons in NFL Week 18 action. / Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Depending on how the Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers game ends up on Saturday, there's a chance the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints will be deciding the NFC South winner when they face each other, except the winner won't be either of them.

If the Buccaneers beat the Panthers on Saturday, they need the Saints to win on Sunday. If the Panthers lose and the Falcons win, the Panthers will be NFC South champions based on a three-way tiebreaker.

That could make this Sunday game a fascinating one. Let's take a look at the latest odds for the game and then I'll predict the final score.

Saints vs. Falcons Odds, Spread, and Total

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

Spread

• Saints +3 (-105)
• Falcons -3 (-115)

Moneyline

• Saints +142
• Falcons -168

Total

• OVER 44.5 (-115)
• UNDER 44.5 (-105)

The spread and moneyline odds have remained steady throughout the week. The total has increased one point from 43.5 to 44.5.

Saints vs. Falcons Final Score Prediction

In this week's edition of the Road to 272 Bets, I wrote about why I'm taking the points with the Saints:

The Saints have become a legitimately good football team in the second half of the season, unfortunately, it's been too little too late for their playoff hopes. Since Week 10, their defense ranks second in opponent EPA and first in opponent success rate. Their offense has also been solid behind rookie quarterback Tyler Shough, ranking 19th in EPA per play and success rate since Week 10.

The Falcons are limping into the offseason behind several injuries, and despite beating the Saints a few weeks ago, New Orleans has hit its stride in recent games and will be a tougher challenge for Atlanta in the rematch. I'll take the points in what I expect to be a close game.

When it comes to the total, I'm going to take the UNDER. We can't look past just how good the Saints' defense has been in the second half of the season. The Falcons' defense has also been strong, including shutting down the then MVP favorite, Matthew Stafford, on Monday night.

Final score prediction: Falcons 21, Saints 20

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