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Neither of those scenarios is unrealistic. Although the Falcons opened as 6½-point favorites in Las Vegas, this will be their third consecutive road game, and it's never easy for a team to travel across three time zones from one corner of the country to the other. Plus, Seattle is widely considered among the toughest places for visiting teams to play in the NFL.
As for the Saints, they've proven in the past that they can handle the underdog role just fine -- even though they haven't been in this situation since they beat both the odds and the Indianapolis Colts to win Super Bowl XLIV.
The Ravens (9-4) opened as 2½-point favorites Monday, before they played at the Houston Texans.

"This is a perfect situation for us. We like being the underdog, " Saints safety Darren Sharper said -- speaking both of Sunday's game and the way they've been hiding in the shadows for most of this season after struggling to a 4-3 start. "Hopefully we can continue to be the underdog. I think the way things are playing out, we might be. Having to go on the road is definitely going to put us as the underdog, and that's a situation we like and we kind of relish."
Coach Sean Payton used the point spread as a motivational tool before the Super Bowl, posting the odds on a grease board every day.
"His famous quote was, 'There's no better situation than to be the underdog and have the better team, '" Sharper recalled.
But Payton insisted that he won't be using the "underdog" tag for motivation this week.

He said point spreads aren't as big of a deal in this "fantasy football" age as they used to be, when the betting lines were routinely dissected during NFL pregame shows.

"Maybe there are games where you are more aware of that, " Payton said. "We know that we are playing a good team, a team that is playing with a lot of the same things at stake as we are. That's what we pay attention to."
Ever since the schedule was released in the spring, this December trip to Baltimore loomed as the toughest date on the Saints' schedule.
For one, the Ravens are one of the most complete teams in the NFL, with a punishing defense and a balanced offense. Although veterans such as linebacker Ray Lewis and safety Ed Reed are no longer in their prime, they are still among the best in the league.

"We have a lot of respect for Baltimore, " Payton said. "Clearly they are one of those teams that have been an elite AFC team, a team that plays extremely physical on defense. Offensively, they have the ability to run and throw. It's a real good challenge for us."

The weather conditions also could challenge the Saints, though the forecast is relatively mild for Baltimore in mid-December. The early forecast calls for a high of 35 degrees with a chance of light snow showers -- very similar to what the Saints faced during their 34-30 victory at Cincinnati on Dec. 5.

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Even though they're winning the New Orleans Saints can't catch Atlanta | NOLA.com

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