Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints: Game predictions, picks, odds
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It was a painful end to what had been an inspiring season. Some late-game heroics from Tyrone Hughes weren’t enough to salvage this one, with the returns ace setting a franchise record on an 83-yard punt returned for a touchdown late in regulation. That helped make the final score look a little less lopsided, but it was already over at that point. Eagles cornerback Eric Allen intercepted Saints quarterback Steve Walsh twice in the second half and scored a pair of defensive touchdowns on the returns, traveling 33 and 25 yards. New Orleans later signed him as a free agent but Allen never met his previous heights.
The Falcons described Pees as "stable, alert and responsive" when he left the Superdome. Ridder completed 13 of 26 passes for 97 yards without an interception. Rookie running back Tyler Allgeier helped the Falcons sustain drives with 139 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. The Saints kept the ball until failing to convert on fourth-and-short in Atlanta territory with 9 seconds left, and the game ended on Ridder's fruitless scramble two plays later. Cord-cutters can watch "Monday Night Football" withfuboTV, which carries the ESPN family of networks and offers a free trial.
Saints vs. Falcons: How to watch, game time, TV schedule, streaming and more
After scoring 24 or more points in six of its first eight games, New Orleans has hit that mark just once in its last six games. The Saints did score 21 in a three-point win over the Falcons in Week 14. That came in 2006 when the Bears were 11-point favorites over the Panthers. Carolina covered and the over hit in a Chicago win. In case you’re wondering, the over and under are tied at 8 apiece in those 16 games with totals of 31 and below.
The Saints raced to a 14-0 lead on their first two possessions, beginning when Johnson turned Dalton's short pass into a 19-yard score by spinning through tackle attempts and diving for the goal line. Hill's deep throw down the middle to Shaheed came on the next series. So this week, Atlanta coach Arthur Smith announced he was elevating Ridder to starter and that Mariota would be placed on injured reserve, effectively ending his season. Atlanta (5-9) was down by just a field goal and threatening to score with less than three minutes remaining when Ridder hit Drake London over the middle for first-down yardage on fourth-and-5. But safety Justin Evans punched the ball from London's grasp, and cornerback Bradley Robey snagged it out of the air to give New Orleans the ball on its own 39.
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The Saints pulled away in the second half here, with fullback Lorenzo Neal scored on a 69-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jim Everett midway through the fourth quarter. It was also a banner day for Saints running back Mario Bates, who put the game out of reach with a 66-yard touchdown run of his own. Bates scored twice, totaling 123 rushing yards on just 15 attempts. Everett outdueled Drew Bledsoe to throw for 293 passing yards, completing 17 of his 26 attempts. 8 different players caught a pass from Brees in this game.
New Orleans (5-9) remained mathematically alive in the anemic NFC South — a division in which every team entered Week 15 with a losing record. The Falcons said Frank Bush will serve as interim defensive play caller for today's game. We recommend you have the latest version of your favorite browser installed, be sure to update to the latest version of Flash and do not have pop-up blockers and/or “cookie” blockers active/installed. Your firewall settings, if set too restrictive, can also impact your viewing experience. New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore will miss his 10th game this season with Sunday’s rematch against the Atlanta Falcons in the Caesars Superdome.
One thing we learned about each team
Hill, a utility player who lines up mostly at tight end, threw his second touchdown pass of the season on a 73-yard connection with rookie receiver Rashid Shaheed. Atlanta is still sitting in an excellent position to make the playoffs, despite coming into this game with a 5-8 record. The Falcons are just one game back of NFC South-leading Tampa Bay with four games remaining, and they will face the Buccaneers in the final week of the regular season.
I’ll take New Orleans at home, despite how wacky this division has been this season. Your favorite teams, topics, and players all on your favorite mobile devices. But will that be enough for New Orleans to win on the road? Let’s dive into the odds and then answer that question. The Saints are allowing 22.5 points per game in 2022 and scoring just 20.4 points per game.
Cleveland is favored for the second week in a row, this time at -3 and with a Moneyline of -162. For the Saints, their Moneyline is +136 and the over/under is 31.5 — meaning the oddsmakers are expecting yet another low-scoring game in the cold weather. New Orleans is currently 5-9 but just 1-5 on the road.
ESPN made one of the biggest splashes of the broadcasting offseason when it signed Buck and Aikman to work "Monday Night Football," pulling them away from Fox. Viewers in Canada will be able to watch on TSN1/3/4 and RDS2, and they can alsostream the game via DAZN, which carries every NFL game. Viewers with cable can stream the game using ESPN.com or the ESPN App. ESPN+, the network's proprietary streaming service, will also carry the matchup.
The Browns have scored just 23 points in their last two games after scoring 27 in Watson’s first game back against the Houston Texans on Dec. 4. And 21 of those 27 points against the Texans came on special teams or defensive TDs. Andy Dalton and Taysom Hill combined to throw three touchdown passes, and the New Orleans Saints beat Atlanta on Sunday in the debut of Falcons rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder.
They won against Atlanta last week but were again uninspiring. The one positive they’ll likely have in this game will be a warm welcome from the fans for Jarvis Landry, who returns for the first time since his departure this offseason. Conversely, both offenses are outside the top 15 in turnover percentage. It's set to be windy with a projected high of 12 on Saturday. Falcons defensive coordinator Dean Pees was injured when he was run into by Shaheed as he fielded a punted ball during pre-game warmups. Pees, 73, was taken off the field on a stretcher and taken to a hospital for observation.
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