Atlanta at New Orleans
Monday, November 2nd, 8:30 ET
(Matchup)
by
Rocky Atkinson
Two NFC South Division rivals will take the field on Monday Night in a pivotal game. The Saints are 6-0 this season and currently have a two game lead on the Falcons who enter this match-up at 4-2. A win by the Saints here could make it extremely difficult for the Falcons to have a chance at taking the division crown. New Orleans has been a cash machine thus far this season as they are a perfect 6-0 against the number. Unfortunately, odds makers are well aware of the Saints’ success and designated them as 9 point home favorites. That number has risen throughout the week to 10 or 10˝ at some offshore books.
Atlanta has had troubles this year when playing away from home as they are just 1-2 SU and 1-2 ATS on the road. Last week, Dallas really took it to the Falcons beating them by a final score of 37-21. Cowboys QB Tony Romo exploited a secondary that has been having trouble covering receivers all year long. He threw for 311 yards and 3 touchdowns against a unit that is giving up an average of more than 250 yards passing per game. This week will be an even bigger challenge going up against arguably one of the top three quarterbacks in the NFL in Drew Brees. Atlanta has to find a way to control Brees and the countless weapons he has around him or they could be in serious trouble.
Not only can New Orleans throw the ball all over the field to Colston, Shockey, Bush, and a few other threats but they can also pound you on the ground with Mike Bell and Pierre Thomas. The Saints are averaging 156 yards a game on the ground for an average of 4.7 yards per carry. This explosive, well-balanced offense has a great opportunity to put points on the board against an Atlanta defense that has struggled against quality offensive teams.
New Orleans can outscore almost anybody in the NFL but the key to the game for them will be how well their defense can contain the quality skill players that Atlanta has. Matt Ryan is a quality quarterback and has two great receiving threats in Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez. The one minor weakness of this Saints team has been their secondary which ranks 13th in the NFL. Michael Turner has been unable to duplicate what he did last year as Atlanta is averaging only 102 yards a game on the ground so expect Atlanta to try and move the ball by throwing first. If they can get the eighth guy out of the box and force New Orleans to go to their nickel package, then you might see some running lanes for Michael Turner.
These are two dynamic offensive teams who have quality players at the skill positions. The outcome will likely be decided by whose defense shows up ready to play. Both units have to respect both the run and the pass so it will be interesting to see what kinds of schemes will be used by the respective coaching staffs to try and limit big plays. Statistically, New Orleans has the advantage on the defensive side of the ball and will have the home crowd in their favor but they have to be on their A Game to slow down Matt Ryan and company.
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