Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints Odds

The New Orleans Saints (11-3) will be looking for a seventh straight win when they host the Atlanta Falcons (9-5) Monday night.

Odds makers believe the Saints will keep their winning streak alive and have listed them as a 6.5-point favorite with the total set at 52.5.

After being challenged by the Minnesota Vikings in the first half, the Saints pulled away in the second for a 42-20 victory last Sunday.

Drew Brees had another monster day, completing 32 of 40 passes for 412 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions. Five of his passes, including two touchdown tosses, found the hands of Lance Moore, who tied with Marques Colston for a team-high 91 receiving yards.

Christopher Ivory led the way on the ground with 74 of the team’s 161 rushing yards.

The Falcons made easy work of the Jacksonville Jaguars with a 41-14 victory in last week’s Thursday night game.

Matt Ryan connected on 19 of 26 pass attempts for 224 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. 10 completions, including two touchdown strikes, went to Roddy White, who finished with a team-high 135 receiving yards.

Michael Turner headed up the ground attack with 61 of the team’s 97 rushing yards and a touchdown.

New Orleans has been at its best in recent years when it has achieved balance on offense. It was a balanced offensive attack that led the Saints to a Super Bowl title two seasons ago, and a balanced attack has been the key to their six-game winning streak.

Everyone knows about Brees and the aerial assault, which leads the NFL with 331.4 yards per game, but many don’t realize the Saints also rank a respectable eighth in rushing offense with 125.4 yards per game.

The Saints have averaged 136.0 rushing yards per game during their winning streak.

The Falcons have been solid against the run most of the season. In fact, they rank fourth in the NFL in run defense with 96.6 yards allowed per game. However, they have experienced some issues against the run in recent weeks, allowing 145.0 yards on the ground over their last three games.

That doesn’t bode well for Atlanta considering New Orleans is 10-0 this season when rushing for 100 yards or more.

The Saints have won five of the last six in this series with the most recent being a 26-23 overtime win in Atlanta on Nov. 13. Each of the last four meetings have been decided by three points.

In regard to the point spread, the underdog has been the play in this series recently. The team catching points has covered the number in each of the last five meetings.

As far as the total is concerned, the under has been the play. These two have finished under the total in three of the last four matchups.

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