Usually entertaining when NFC South rivals and future Hall of Famers Drew Brees and Matt Ryan face off, and they do in one of Sunday’s marquee matchups as the loser between the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons will be 1-2. Atlanta is a field-goal favorite on the NFL Week 3 odds.
The Falcons beat visiting Carolina 31-24 last week in their home opener without top running back Devonta Freeman, who isn’t expected to play this week, either. He’s dealing with an aggravation of a 2017 MCL/PCL injury, which sapped his explosiveness down the stretch. Tevin Coleman will remain the Falcons’ feature back for the foreseeable future. Rookie Ito Smith is now changing the pace.
Coleman rushed 16 times for 107 yards in Week 2. He caught all four of his targets for 18 additional yards. Coleman’s bug run went for 36 yards, and he also had a 19-yarder that was very close to going to the house for a long touchdown. The Falcons currently rank sixth in the NFL after two games with an average of 4.88 yards per rush. Next opponent, the Saints, allow just 3.36 yards per rush, which ranks fourth best in the league. But Saints are the absolute worst in pass defense, surrendering 10.67 yards per pass play.
Matt Ryan completed 23-of-28 passes for 272 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception in the Falcons’ Week 2 win, adding 18 yards and two additional touchdowns on four carries. Ryan sneaked in from one yard away on his first score, and then helicoptered in from eight yards out on his second rushing score. His two via the pass went to Calvin Ridley and Austin Hooper. All four scores were of the red-zone variety, a huge improvement from Week 1 when the offense went 0-of-5 in the red area.
More bad news for Atlanta, though, which is already down two top defenders maybe for the season. The team placed left guard LG Andy Levitre on injured reserve with a triceps injury, ending his season. Wes Schweitzer, who started at right guard last season but lost his starting spot to veteran newcomer Brandon Fusco, now moves into the left guard role. Schweitzer started all 16 games last season and the two playoff games. Depth behind Schweitzer and Fusco now comes into focus with reserve guard Ben Garland inactive the first two games due to a calf injury.
We will learn Wednesday the status this week of defensive ends Takk McKinley and Derrick Shelby as both are dealing with groin injuries.
How to Bet Saints at Falcons NFL Week 3 Lines
- When: Sunday, 1 PM ET
- Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
- TV: Fox
- Radio: SiriusXM
- NFL Week 3 Lines: Falcons -3 (53)
Weather Forecast
- Partly Cloudy: 29°C/84°F
- Humidity: 51%
- Precipitation: 5%
- Cloud Cover: 41%
- Wind: 6 mph SE
- Stadium Type: Retractable
Last Season
These teams split, each winning at home. Atlanta prevailed 2017 on a Thursday night at home. Deion Jones made a leaping interception in the end zone with 1:25 remaining of a Drew Brees pass. Matt Ryan shook off three interceptions to guide the Falcons to Matt Bryant’s 52-yard field goal with 3:49 to go, snapping a 17-all tie. Ryan had three picks in a stretch of nine plays at the end of the first half and the beginning of the second. But he tied the game with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Mohamed Sanu with 9:55 remaining, finishing 15 of 27 for 221 yards. Brees was 26 of 35 for 271 yards and two TDs.Why Bet on New Orleans?
The Saints should be 0-2. They lost Week 1 as huge favorites vs. Tampa Bay and they were lucky to escape Week 2 at home vs. Cleveland, escaping 21-18. If the Browns had a good kicker, the Saints would have lost. Drew Brees completed 28-of-35 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns in the win. Despite completing 80 percent of his passes, Brees got off to a slow start in the first when he rushed a throw to a wide-open Ben Watson in the end zone and underthrew an open Ted Ginn for potential scores. He bounced back in the second half to connect for two touchdowns to Michael Thomas. Thomas caught 12-of-13 targets for 89 yards and two touchdowns. Thomas did lose a fumble for the second straight game, but that was his only blemish. Thomas now has reeled in 28 receptions through two weeks, which is the most for any player through the first two weeks in NFL history. The previous mark of 26 was set by Andre Rison in 1994. Thomas had already set the NFL mark for the most catches through the first two seasons of a career with 196 from 2016-17. Alvin Kamara rushed 13 times for 46 yards and caught all six of his targets for 53 yards vs. Cleveland. Kamara also added a 2-point conversion in the 4th quarter. Kamara has struggled to gain yardage on the ground, rushing 21 times for just 75 yards (3.6 YPC) but has been great in the receiving game, catching 15-of-18 targets for 165 yards. He will remain busy with Mark Ingram suspended two more games. Despite Sunday’s win, Saints coach Sean Payton was very unhappy by the offense’s performance after reviewing the tape. “Too many troubling things on offense. We’ve gotta improve in a lot of areas,” Payton said.Why Bet on Atlanta?
The Falcons beat visiting Carolina 31-24 last week in their home opener without top running back Devonta Freeman, who isn’t expected to play this week, either. He’s dealing with an aggravation of a 2017 MCL/PCL injury, which sapped his explosiveness down the stretch. Tevin Coleman will remain the Falcons’ feature back for the foreseeable future. Rookie Ito Smith is now changing the pace.
Coleman rushed 16 times for 107 yards in Week 2. He caught all four of his targets for 18 additional yards. Coleman’s bug run went for 36 yards, and he also had a 19-yarder that was very close to going to the house for a long touchdown. The Falcons currently rank sixth in the NFL after two games with an average of 4.88 yards per rush. Next opponent, the Saints, allow just 3.36 yards per rush, which ranks fourth best in the league. But Saints are the absolute worst in pass defense, surrendering 10.67 yards per pass play.
Matt Ryan completed 23-of-28 passes for 272 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception in the Falcons’ Week 2 win, adding 18 yards and two additional touchdowns on four carries. Ryan sneaked in from one yard away on his first score, and then helicoptered in from eight yards out on his second rushing score. His two via the pass went to Calvin Ridley and Austin Hooper. All four scores were of the red-zone variety, a huge improvement from Week 1 when the offense went 0-of-5 in the red area.
More bad news for Atlanta, though, which is already down two top defenders maybe for the season. The team placed left guard LG Andy Levitre on injured reserve with a triceps injury, ending his season. Wes Schweitzer, who started at right guard last season but lost his starting spot to veteran newcomer Brandon Fusco, now moves into the left guard role. Schweitzer started all 16 games last season and the two playoff games. Depth behind Schweitzer and Fusco now comes into focus with reserve guard Ben Garland inactive the first two games due to a calf injury.
We will learn Wednesday the status this week of defensive ends Takk McKinley and Derrick Shelby as both are dealing with groin injuries.
Latest Saints at Falcons NFL Week 3 Betting Trends
- New Orleans is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
- New Orleans is 13-5 SU in its last 18 games
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of New Orleans’s last 5 games
- Atlanta is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games at home
- Atlanta is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
- The total has gone OVER in 14 of Atlanta’s last 20 games at home
