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Week 9: Saints vs. Falcons

When: Sunday (Noon)

Watch it on FOX

Line: New Orleans -6

Series record: Falcons lead 53-51

Last meeting: Dec. 6: Saints won 21-16

Falcons in 2021: 3-4, 4th in NFC South

Saints in 2021: 5-2, 2nd in NFC South

NUMBERS TO KNOW
2: The Saints will be down at least two players Sunday: defensive end Carl Granderson and receiver Ty Montgomery.

11: The number of interceptions the Saints have grabbed this season, which is tied for the lead in the NFL.

15: The number that Trevor Siemian, the Saints starting quarterback, will wear.

20: The number of times the Saints have sacked Matt Ryan in their past three games.

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The New Orleans Saints have played no other opponent more than the Atlanta Falcons, as Sunday’s meeting will be the 105th time the two have faced off.

The Saints enter the game as about a 6-point favorite, which is fairly compatible to where this spread has been as of the past few years. Last year, New Orleans was a 7-point favorite at home and won 24-9 on Nov. 22, and then won 32-29 – right on the number – as a 3-point favorite in Atlanta.

Overall, what do past trends say beyond 2020? It’s no secret the Saints have fared well in the series during the Sean Payton era.

Dattitude with Jim Derry · Ep. 19 - Saints-Falcons preview; Jim and Friends make Week 9 picks on '5-Star Friday'
Let’s dive deeper into the past and the series history – as well as Matt Ryan’s performances against the Saints – and see if we can find something that helps us pick today’s game:

LINE TREND: The Saints opened as 5.5-point favorites on Monday, it briefly moved to 6.5 before quickly falling to 6, where it had remained throughout Saturday.

INTERESTING NOTE: Trevor Siemian will be starting his 26th NFL game on Sunday, while Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan will be starting his 26th game against the Saints.

TEAM TRENDS
SAINTS

The Saints are ranked 29th in the NFL in overall offense (yards gained per game – the same as it was before Week 8) and 14th in points scored (up from 17th). They are 10th in rushing offense and 31st in passing. … The team is 10th in overall defense (down from seventh) and fourth in points allowed (down from second). They are second against the run and 22nd against the pass.

New Orleans has won three games in a row, which makes this the fifth consecutive season having at least one streak of three or more. In each the past four seasons, they have had at a win streak of at least six games and at least eight in three of four.

This is the fifth consecutive time the teams have faced off in which the Saints are favored. Of the previous four, New Orleans covered the spread three times and lost outright in the other – 26-9 at home two seasons ago when the Saints entered with a 7-1 record and Atlanta was 1-7.

The Saints have won six of the past seven meetings between the two, although they haven’t won four in a row in the series since 2010-12.

FALCONS

Atlanta is ranked 23rd in the NFL in overall offense (yards gained per game) and 21st in points scored. They are 27th in rushing offense and 15th in passing. … They are 15th in the NFL in overall defense and 26th in points allowed. Atlanta is 25th against the run and 12th against the pass.

The Falcons have lost five of their last six games against the spread against teams from the NFC and five of six ATS against teams from the NFC South.

Atlanta has lost six consecutive games straight up in the division and seven of their last eight.

Throughout 2019 and 2020, the Falcons had an overall record of 11-21, but they are 4-3 in November during that stretch.

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