It should be a shootout on Monday Night Football on ESPN as the Atlanta Falcons visit the New Orleans Saints. The Flacons feature quarterback Matt Ryan and wide receiver Julio Jones while the Saints have Drew Brees and Brandon Cooks. The Falcons are the top passing team in the NFL through two weeks while the Saints are fourth. The Saints are listed as 3-point home favorites at the best sportsbooks. Let’s look at the contest and Monday Night Football picks.
Monday Night Football Odds at Top Sportsbooks
New Orleans Saints -3, total 53.5
The Falcons have looked much better on offense this season than they did a year ago as Matt Ryan actually leads the NFL in passer rating through two games. He has a great receiver in Julio Jones and Jacob Tamme has proven to be a reliable tight end. Both running backs, Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman have also proven to be good receivers out of the backfield. Ryan threw for more than 300 yards in each of the first two games this season. He has five TDs and just one interception. The Falcons have struggled on defense but so far the offense has scored enough to get Atlanta a 1-1 record through two games.
The Saints come into this game at 0-2 and this is simply a must-win game if New Orleans wants to make the playoffs as only one team in the last 18 years has made the playoffs after starting 0-3. The Saints still have a potent offense led by Drew Brees but the defense is awful as they have allowed 903 yards in two games. Brees almost always plays better at home than on the road so he should have a big game on Monday night.
Game Notes and Trends
The Saints have won 15 of the last 20 meetings in this series and the Saints have lost just twice to Atlanta in the Superdome in that time period.
The Falcons are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 Monday games. The Falcons are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games in September. The Falcons are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 road games. The Falcons are 1-7 ATS vs. a team with a losing record.
The Falcons are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 vs. the NFC South.
The Saints are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 vs. the NFC South. The Saints are 4-1 ATS at sites that feature a great sportsbook review in their last 5 games in Week 3. The Saints are 4-9-1 ATS in their last 14 home games. The home team is 7-2 ATS in the last 9 meetings in this series.
The Under is 9-1-1 in the Falcons last 11 vs. the NFC South. The Under is 5-1-1 in the Falcons last 7 road games. The Over is 9-3 in the Falcons last 12 games in September. The Over is 6-0-1 in the Saints last 7 home games. The Under is 5-1-1 in the last 7 meetings in this series.
Monday Night Football Picks
It is tough to trust the Saints at home so I will avoid a side and just take this game over the total at the best sportsbooks.
