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The Atlanta Falcons are playing out the string in Week 18 but can ruin the playoff hopes of the New Orleans Saints, who need a victory and 49ers loss to the Rams to earn an NFC wild-card spot. The Saints are favored on the NFL odds.

How to Bet Saints at Falcons NFL Odds & TV Info

When: Sunday, 4:25 PM ET
Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium
TV: Fox
Radio: http://www.siriusxm.com/nfl
Stream Option: NFLSUNDAYTICKET.TV
Opening NFL Lines: Saints -4.5 (total 40)

First Meeting

In Week 9, the Falcons beat the Saints 27-25. Matt Ryan hit Cordarrelle Patterson for a 64-yard gain with a minute left to set up Younghoe Koo’s 29-yard field goal as time expired. Ryan passed for 343 yards, connected twice with Olamide Zaccheaus for touchdowns, and the veteran quarterback also ran for a score. Ryan’s second scoring pass gave the Falcons a 24-6 lead with 10:39 left in the fourth quarter. But the Saints rallied to briefly take the lead on Trevor Siemian’s 8-yard pass to Kenny Stills with 1:01 left. New Orleans then missed a 2-point conversion try for the second time in the game, leaving the door open for the Falcons to win with a field goal.

Why Bet on New Orleans?

The Saints kept their playoff hopes alive with last Sunday’s 18-10 win over Carolina. Cameron Jordan had 3.5 of New Orleans’ seven sacks. Jordan now has 11.5 sacks for the season, his sixth season with 10 or more. His best season was 2019 when he had 15.5. Carolina finished with just 178 yards of offense and was six of 14 on third down.

Taysom Hill completed 17-of-28 passes for 222 yards and one touchdown. Hill also led the team in rushing with 12 carries for 45 yards. His 12-yard dump-off to Alvin Kamara in the fourth quarter not only gave the Saints a late 18-10 lead but was their first offensive touchdown since the fourth quarter of Week 14. Kamara rushed 13 times for 32 yards and had five catches for 68 yards and that TD. Marquez Callaway had one of his best games with six catches for 98 yards.

Including a 30-point outburst against the Jets in a 30-9 win, the Saints have totaled 60 points in the last four games. While winning two of the last three, they’ve posted one touchdown. The Saints, who average 20.9 points per game (19th in the league), can be less reliant on offensive outbursts because of a standout defense (19.7 points per game allowed, fourth fewest in the league, including eight points per game allowed in the last four).

Running back Mark Ingram (knee) was limited in practice this week. Ingram missed Week 17 against the Panthers after being a late-week addition to the injury report. In his absence last week,

New Orleans has activated Pro Bowl offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk from the reserve/COVID-19 list. Ramczyk has been out since Week 10 because of a knee injury and then his placement on the COVID list. Pro Football Focus ranks Ramczyk as their No. 11 tackle this year.

Why Bet on Atlanta?

The Falcons were eliminated from playoff contention with last Sunday’s 29-15 loss in Buffalo. Matt Ryan completed 13-of-23 passes for 197 yards. Rookie tight end Kyle Pitts had two receptions for 69 yards.

Pitts has 1,018 receiving yards this season and joined Pro Football Hall of Famer Mike Ditka (1,076 receiving yards in 1961) as the only rookie tight ends in NFL history with at least 1,000 receiving yards. Pitts has 66 receptions in 2021 and is the third rookie tight end all-time with at least 65 receptions, joining Keith Jackson (81 receptions in 1988) and Jeremy Shockey (74 in 2002).

Pitts (hamstring) participated in the portion of practice open to media on Thursday and told reporters that he would play. Pitts was officially “limited” on Thursday. The Falcons activated fellow tight end Hayden Hurst from the reserve/COVID-19 list as well as Tajae Sharpe, DT Marlon Davidson, DB Jaylinn Hawkins, and LB James Vaughters. Rookie and starting left guard Jalen Mayfield was added to the practice report on Thursday; he did not participate with a back injury.

The Falcons haven’t had top receiver Calvin Ridley for weeks as he’s away from the team dealing with personal issues. Ridley did not play after Atlanta’s trip to London, wrapping up the season with 31 catches for 281 yards and two touchdowns before stepping away for mental health reasons. He may ask for a trade to get a fresh start.

Atlanta leads the regular season series, 53-51 vs. the Saints, with New Orleans holding an 21-10 advantage over the Falcons since 2006. Since 1991, 34 games have been decided by eight points or less