Back New Orleans To Win In Atlanta

Saints vs. Falcons, 1:00 ET

We were able to get some football on Thursday, as usual, then were treated to the new game on Friday. Now we are back to the usually scheduled programming of Sunday football and then a game on Monday Night. I've picked out a few games that I think we have the edge in and can get a win in. The first one that I have for this Sunday schedule is between the Saints and the Falcons.

The Saints are one of those squads that should probably be better than they actually are. They are the definition of average at this point in the season: 5-5 overall and 3-3 on the road and 2-2 at home. They don't do anything very well but also don't play poorly. They started the season strong with wins over the Titans and Panthers before dropping two straight. Then they beat the Patriots and dropped two straight again. They had an impressive win over the Colts and beat the Bears (not exactly convincingly, but they won). Last week, they lost to Minnesota with Jameis Winston taking over about midway through for the injured Derek Carr. Michael Thomas is now out for the season which complicates things slightly. The team has played without him for basically two years now so they should be used to that situation. On defense, they are fairly decent about getting pressure on the quarterback. The good news for them is that they face a team that doesn't have much going for them offensively, so even if they don't get into the backfield, they should be able to handle the passing game of the Falcons.

TAMPA, FL - OCTOBER 22: Bijan Robinson #7 of the Atlanta Falcons carries the ball during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on October 22, 2023 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

The Falcons are not better than their record and are actually more confusing than anything. They have a 4-6 record and have drafted offensive weapons that they under-utilize. They were 3-2 just five weeks ago and have lost four of their past five games. They lost to a bad Commanders team, a mediocre Titans squad, a rejuvenated Vikings team, and a bad Cardinals team - but at least they got back their starting quarterback so it was a little more understandable. The biggest problem is the Falcons don't have a usable quarterback. Clearly, Desmond Ridder is not the answer, but they are going back to him after a break. He has six touchdowns and six interceptions on the season and just 1,740 passing yards. They need to find more ways to get the ball to Bijan Robinson. I get it, teams can just stand there and wait for the Falcons to run the ball because they've been poor in the passing game, but Robinson still is averaging almost five yards per carry this season. They need to force the issue.

I'm not quite sure who is the starting quarterback for the Saints in this one. I don't know if it will be Carr or Winston, but I do know that either is a better quarterback than anything the Falcons can throw out there. The Saints defense should be able to manage to hold the Falcons offense down. This is essentially a coin flip game and I think every time it lands on the Saints side. I'm taking them here to win on the road.

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