Atlanta Falcons Head to New Orleans To Battle The Saints
The Atlanta Falcons look to beat New Orleans on Monday Night Football for the first time since the 2005 season.
Playing the Saints has been an absolute nightmare for the Atlanta Falcons ever since Drew Brees and Sean Payton arrived. From 2006 to 2015, there were 20 games played between Atlanta and New Orleans. Atlanta managed only 5 wins, while New Orleans notched 15 wins. 2016 is a new season, and obviously both teams have completely different rosters than they once featured.
However, Many Falcons fans still fear the same result awaits Atlanta on Monday night. Emotions will certainly run high for the Saints, as they commemorate the 10 year anniversary of the reopening of their stadium after hurricane Katrina.
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The game will be a tough one for the Falcons, since a desperate team is a dangerous team, and New Orleans is definitely desperate now that they sit at 0-2. This game also has potentially huge ramifications regarding divisional placing and seeding. Although New Orleans is 0-2, I believe Atlanta needs this game more. Atlanta’s upcoming schedule is very difficult, and going in 1-2 could spell disaster.
What Falcons to Watch:
Superstar receiver Julio Jones hasn’t quite looked 100% healthy these first two weeks of the season, and his involvement in the offense has taken a small hit. Still, Look for Julio to have huge impact on this game. Even when he plays a little banged up, he still manages to win his matchups.
Rookie Safety Keanu Neal is also a player to watch, as he makes his regular season debut on Monday night. Promising rookie Linebacker De’Vondre Campbell is out, and Kemal Ishmael is more of a box safety, so Keanu Neal could be huge in containing the air attack of Drew Brees and the Saints.
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Game Prediction: Falcons 34, Saints 27
The Falcons have obviously had their struggles against New Orleans, but I expect Monday night to be a good showing. I expect Matt Ryan to have a huge game against a porous Saints secondary. The Falcons defense will give up points to Drew Brees and the Saints’ offense. But I think the trend of bad Saints defense will continue on Monday night.