The New Orleans Saints' season is already on life support just five games in. This might be the worst time in the world to catch one of the most surprising teams in the NFL, the undefeated Atlanta Falcons.
WHEN THE ATLANTA FALCONS HAVE THE BALL
Devonta Freeman has all of a sudden turned into one of the biggest beasts in the league at tailback. He's got eight touchdowns already this season, seven of which have come in his last three games, and he can't be stopped either as a rusher or a receiver.
That said, we think the Saints might have a thing or two for him. Freeman's game translates well to that of Mark Ingram, a man New Orleans sees in practice all the time. The little swing passes out of the backfield are commonplace for the Saints, and they should be ready for Freeman.
Though the Falcons have been great offensively, we still see problems. Julio Jones wasn't right last week in the win over the Redskins, and that's why that game arguably should have been lost. He hasn't practiced fully this week as of Wednesday, and clearly, he's still going to be slowed by this hamstring problem. With Roddy White essentially just falling out of favor for Matt Ryan for whatever reason, Jones can't afford to be MIA against a defense which has a ton of holes in it and has allowed the most yards in the NFL at 409 per game.
WHEN THE NEW ORLEANS SAINTS HAVE THE BALL
The Saints are starting to look like the Saints again. They throw the ball all over the field and can't consistently getting a running game going. Ingram is a better back than New Orleans has seen in quite some time, but he can't carry the whole load himself. C.J. Spiller, outside of the one play which beat the Cowboys in overtime, has been rather useless this year, and Khiry Robinson's best work has come with the team well behind in games.
With Marques Colston out of the fold in this one, that's going to put even more pressure on Drew Brees, who clearly is at the tail end of his career. He has wilted under the pressure of oncoming defensive linemen and linebackers, a problem which the Falcons can clearly exploit, and his 93.8 quarterback rating, though not bad, is surprisingly low by his own standards.
It'll be tough for Brees to look like an MVP again in this one, but that's the only way we would want any part of this New Orleans offense in live betting against the Falcons the way they're playing defense for Dan Quinn.
TREND TO TRACK
The Saints haven't been great here at home of late, but we definitely will give them this much. When they are up against the wall against good teams, they typically at least cover. New Orleans is 17-4 ATS in its last 21 home games against teams with winning road records.
This is just the type of game which Brees tends to figure out how to win when push comes to shove in spite of the fact that very few believe that to actually be the case, and that's something you should keep in the back of your head when it comes to live betting the first game on the docket in Week 6.
It's also clearly worth noting that the Falcons haven't won consecutive games played here in the Bayou since 2001-02. This would end that dastardly streak if it was to come to fruition, but this is a tough game on a short week against a desperate rival.
BookMaker opened the spread for this Thursday game at -2.5 in favor of the Atlanta Falcons. The NFL odds total surfaced at 51. Minute-by-minute spreads, totals and props are available for this game using the live betting platform at BookMaker.
Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone or tablet with BookMaker’s new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here and start wagering today! The game between the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints is scheduled for Thursday, October 15, 2015, at 8:30 p.m. ET at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The game will be broadcast on CBS and the NFL Network.
