Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints

Betting Odds

Point Spread: New Orleans Saints (-4.5)
Game Total Line: (50)
(wagering lines available at 5Dimes)

The Saints' vaunted offense has yet to get rolling. New Orleans (2-0, 0-2 ATS) mustered just 14 points in a Week 1 victory over Minnesota and needed to claw tooth and nail for a 25-22 victory over the 49ers. Admittedly, 25 points isn't a bad output against a good Niners "D," but the Saints had just nine until less than two minutes remaining in the third quarter. The downfield passing attack has been non-existent; Drew Brees relied mostly on check-downs to his running backs, as Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush combined for a dozen catches and a score against San Fran. That's troubling against Atlanta since Bush suffered a leg injury that will sideline him for at least six weeks.

Defensively, the Saints mostly bent but didn't break-for the most part. New Orleans came up with four takeaways, three of them within their own 30 yard line. There is plenty cause for concern, though. Alex Smith isn't exactly carving himself out a Hall of Fame career, but he completed over 70 percent of his passes for 275 yards-including the game-tying drive on a clutch two-minute drill. New Orleans was also badly victimized by Frank Gore, who rushed for 112 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries and another 56 yards and a touchdown through the air.

The Falcons (1-1, 1-1 ATS) bounced back from an ugly loss to Pittsburgh in Week 1 to crush Arizona 41-7. Matt Ryan was shaky in his 2010 debut, but he absolutely torched the Cardinals, completing 21 of his 32 passes for 225 yards and three scores. He was largely helped out by a dominant running game that racked up 221 yards and two touchdowns. Jason Snelling did most of the damage after Michael Turner was pulled with a groin injury. Apparently, Turner is fine and would have returned to action had it not been a blowout.

The Falcons harassed Derek Anderson and the Cardinals offense into an embarrassing performance. The quarterback completed only 54 percent of his passes while tossing a pair of picks. Anderson was sacked twice and eventually benched. Atlanta held Arizona to a paltry 267 yards of total offense, and 80 of those came on a second-quarter scamper by Tim Hightower; besides that one broken play, the Falcons looked pretty dominant on "D."

New Orleans won both meetings with the Falcons last season, though Atlanta covered both times. They split the total in those meetings, but the Saints and Falcons have gone over in four of their last five match ups. Sportsbook.com has the total set at 50 points.

Point Spread Pick

Take the UNDER 50 at 5Dimes