This is one of those games that could end up being better than the Super Bowl . There is no doubt that New Orleans 10-4 record would probably be better,if they hadn’t run into the severe injury problems they had, losing both Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas,( Chris Ivory did an admirable job picking up the slack, averaging 5.3 yards per carry, for 683 yards, on 130 attempts.) and other injuries as well, earlier in the season. Having said that, other teams have had the same problem, like the Colts. The Falcons are full value for their 12-2 record, and they look as good as anyone in the league, in terms of winning the Super Bowl in February. Most analysts would probably pick either the Falcons, Saints, or Eagles, to go up against the Patriots at this point, and barring further injury problems. Atlanta can secure home field advantage throughout the playoffs by beating the Saints, and either a win tonight, or against Carolina next Sunday, will accomplish that goal. To gain a wild-card spot, the Saints have to win one of their final two games, or have the Buccaneers lose. Atlanta has won eight in a row, and the last three were on the road. The Falcons are at home for the first time since November 28, with an opportunity to win the division for the first time since 2004. As detailed by ESPN.com, Matt Ryan has won 15 straight at the Georgia Dome, and is 19-1 all time there, tying him with Danny White for the best winning percentage in a player’s first 20 home starts in the Super Bowl era. Drew Brees has victories in the last four Monday games, completing 75% of his passes for 1,256 yards, with 13 touchdowns, and one interception,and a quarterback rating of 141.5. Being mindful of the injury woes that impacted the Saints, as detailed above, they are 3rd in passing, 26th in rushing, 2nd against the pass, and 21st in stopping the run. New Orleans road loss to the Ravens, 30-24 last week, was their first defeat in their last 7 games. The Falcons are 14th in passing, 8th in rushing, 22nd against the pass, and 13th stopping the run. More importantly, they are incredibly tough to beat at home, as discussed above, and have only two road losses, at Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, with 8 straight wins since the loss to the Eagles.
Falcons 27 Saints 24.