Saints at Falcons Week 1 Preview and Prediction

Saints at Falcons Preview For Week 1

Neither team may have their quarterback of the future, but the New Orleans Saints have made it clear they're at least looking to win with Jameis Winston under center, while the Falcons seem more interested in who they can draft in 2023.

Atlanta is completely in rebuild mode, moving on from quarterback Matt Ryan, with the clear desire to draft their next quarterback in 2023.

New Orleans comes in with a win total of 8.5, while Atlanta is down at just 4.5 on BetMGM. Keep reading to get a glimpse at both sides and check out our model's best bets below.

New Orleans Saints

New Orleans is ushering in the Dennis Allen era with Sean Payton gone, and the hope that a healthy Jameis Winston at least pushes this team to the playoffs.

We already know Winston can air it out, the question has always been more about his decision-making. Last year, in a much more restrictive offense, Winston went 5-2 as a starter with 14 touchdowns and just three picks. He also added a career-high 102.8 QB rating to the mix, showing he's certainly capable of being more under control.

New Orleans signed receiver Jarvis Landry after drafting talented wideout Chris Olave in the first round, while also adding left tackle Trevor Penning in that same round, giving away next year's first-round pick in what's considered a deep quarterback draft in 2023. There's also hope to finally have Michael Thomas healthy again to anchor that receiving corps.

All those weapons coupled with the fact that New Orleans is 7-2 straight up in its last nine games against Atlanta, and you can see where this is likely headed in Week 1.

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Atlanta Falcons

Having gone 6-10-1 ATS last year, while hitting the under in 58 percent of their games, the Falcons gave up the fourth-most points last year. New Orleans meanwhile, went under just as often while going 9-8 ATS with a defense that allowed the fourth-fewest points per game.

The one weapon they do bring to the table comes at tight end though, where Kyle Pitts is not only part of their future, but clearly on his way to being one of the best at the position in the NFL.

Pitts caught 68 balls on 110 targets for 1,026 yards in his rookie year but only got into the end zone once all season. New Orleans was just 14th against the pass last season, so there may be some room for Atlanta to exploit that with Pitts here.

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My Favorite Pick: Saints -5.5

Even with the middle-of-the-pack pass defense for New Orleans, the Saints still bring back a defense that was seventh overall last year and some serious weapons on offense, so let's be honest here, you have to like the Saints to come out and open the season with a comfortable win in Atlanta.

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