SPORTS BETTING

• Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints 8:30 ET

  Posted on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT by North Shore Sports, INC

  
  

  The eighth week of the NFL betting season will wrap up on Monday night in the Big Easy, where the New Orleans Saints (6-0, 6-0 ATS) will look to take a commanding three-game lead in the NFC South with a victory over the Atlanta Falcons (4-2, 4-2 ATS). Should the Saints win this game, they'll already be counting down their magic number towards the playoffs, while the Falcons are not only trying to keep up in their own division, but for one of the NFC Wild Card positions as well.
   
  Atlanta had a rough go of it in Dallas last weekend. QB Matt Ryan had one of the more difficult games of his young career, as he went 19/35 for 198 yards with two touchdowns, two interceptions, and a pair of fumbles. The rushing game ultimately ended up with 124 yards, but it never really asserted itself. The secondary was a real problem on the day, as Dallas QB Tony Romo torched the unit for 311 yards and three scores. There was no answer for WR Miles Austen, who went nuts for the second straight week, catching six passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns.
   
  Even though the Falcons have a big win to their credit on the road in San Francisco, they're largely an awful road team. Atlanta has lost by 16 points to both New England and Dallas heading into this week's showdown at the Superdome.
   
  Even though they were down, the Saints were never knocked out by the Miami Dolphins in Week 7, and thanks to a 22-0 4th quarter, they ultimately beat the Fins 46-34. QB Drew Brees threw three interceptions on the day, but he rallied his troops from a 24-3 deficit with just seconds remaining in the first half to a very improbable cover. Truth be told, even though they found a way to beat the number, the Saints never had any business covering, as they needed a SS Tracey Porter pick six in the dying moments to hit the backdoor. DB Darren Sharper also returned a Chad Henne INT to the house as a part of the comeback.
   
  New Orleans scored 40+ points for the second straight week and for the fourth time this season. The offense ranks first in the NFL in total yards (427.3 per game), sixth in passing (271.3 yards per game), third in rushing (156.0 yards per game), and first in points scored (39.7 points per game).
   
  Last year, this series belonged to the home team. The Saints won 29-25 in the Superdome, while the Falcons won 34-20 in the Georgia Dome. New Orleans is 5-1 SU in its L/6 meetings with Atlanta, and is 7-3 ATS in the L/10 meetings overall. The Saints are 7-1 ATS in their L/8 games played in the Bayou.
   
  The oddsmakers have lined the hosts as whopping 10-point favorites in this NFC South showdown. The over/under has been lined at 54. Bookmaker Sportsbook is your official headquarters for Week 7 of the NFL season. Login to your account and place your football bets today!