Winds of change are blowing through the Superdome. Well, maybe not so much a wind as a Brees of change. Puns aside, the fact remains that the New Orleans Saints – who have not won a single game (regular or preseason) since January 3rd – are nonetheless the online NFL betting favorites to beat the Atlanta Falcons; coincidently, the last team they were able to defeat. These are the football betting site odds for the game on Monday, September 26th at the Mercedes Benz Superdome:
Falcons +2½ (-115) 54 (-110) +115
Saints -2½ (-105) 54 (-110) -135
The Falcons posted a .500 record by besting the Oakland Raiders 35-28 in week 2. Atlanta QB Matt Ryan went 26 of 34 for 396 passing yards with three TDs and one interception. However, Ryan’s most important play in the game was a lucky shot; a third-down throw to running back Tevin Coleman that was broken up, but caught by wide receiver Justin Hardy in the end zone to break a 21-21 tie. Things kept going the Falcons’ way when officials ruled that Oakland’s Amari Cooper went out of bounds voluntarily before catching a 51-yard touchdown pass from Derek Carr. Atlanta added an insurance touchdown – brought to you by Geico – on a 13-yard touchdown run by Coleman to secure the victory.
The New Saints almost won their two first regular season games, but almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. First, they lost 34-35 to the Raiders, and then they fell three points short of the New York Giants. New Orleans rallied twice to tie in the fourth quarter. A 17-yard touchdown pass from Drew Brees to Willie Snead IV made it even at 10 early in the quarter. When New York took over again 13-10 lead with a 19-yard field goal on the next series, Brees led an eight-play, 47-yard drive that culminated with kicker Will Lutz making a 45-yard field goal to tie it with 2:54 left. Unfortunately for Saints fans who do a little online NFL betting, a attempted 38-yard field goal by Lutz was blocked by Johnathan Hankins, who promptly returned it 65 yards for the go-ahead with 2:30 on the clock.
It’s pretty much do or die for the Saints; if they don’t beat the Falcons, we may as well start organizing a jazz funeral for them. Luckily for NOLA online NFL betting fans, they can always count on Brees to take the wind out of Atlanta’s sails. The Saints has won 15 of the last 20 matchups with the Falcons since Brees arrived in New Orleans, including two last season. The Saints’ main problem is that they haven’t seemed to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time – admittedly, it is pretty hard, trust me. So they will be looking to find the right balance against Atlanta this Monday. Meanwhile, the Falcons found out that they actually have an offense – and a good one at that – and will use to try to score which would be only their third win in their last eleven trips to New Orleans. They’ve got plenty of beads, though.
