Two NFC South rivals will square off on Sunday afternoon in week 18 of the NFL season when the Atlanta Falcons travel to New Orleans, Louisiana to face the New Orleans Saints at the Caesars Superdome with the game scheduled to start at 1:00 PM ET on Sunday afternoon and will air on CBS.

Atlanta enters this game with a record of 7-9 and is in 3^rd place in the NFC South following a 17-37 loss on the road against the Chicago Bears in week 17 of the NFL season. The Falcons have also lost three of their last four games. Offensively, the Falcons have struggled for the majority of the season as they enter this game averaging the 7^th fewest points per game in the NFL with an average of 19 points per game. 

However, defensively Atlanta has been one of the best scoring defenses in the league as they are allowing the 9^th fewest points per game. The Atlanta Falcons will look to bounce back following the loss on the road against the Bears when they travel to face the New Orleans Saints.

The New Orleans Saints enter this game in 2^nd place in the NFC South with a record of 8-8 following a 23-13 win on the road against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday and have won three of their last five games. New Orleans has been a slightly above-average scoring team as they enter this game averaging 22.13 points per game which is above the league average of 21.96 points per game and have one of the best passing offenses in the NFL as they are averaging 234 passing yards per game which ranks 12^th in the league. 

Derek Carr has had a successful season in his first season with the Saints as he has completed 353 of 520 attempts for 3,614 yards with 21 touchdowns and eight interceptions. The Saints have also been one of the best scoring defenses in the NFL as they are allowing the 6^th fewest points per game in the league with an average of 19.38 points per game. The New Orleans Saints will look to finish the season with a winning record and keep their playoff hopes alive when they host the Atlanta Falcons in week 18 of the NFL season.

BookMaker has the New Orleans Saints listed as 3.5-point favorites at home against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday afternoon in week 18 of the NFL season. New Orleans has won seven of the last ten and two of the last three meetings. The teams are 5-5 ATS in the last ten while the Falcons have covered the spread in three straight games in the series. 

The Atlanta Falcons are 5-11 ATS overall, 2-5 ATS on the road, 2-3 ATS as an underdog, and 3-2 ATS in division games this season while the New Orleans Saints are 5-10-1 ATS overall, 2-5 ATS at home, 3-8-1 ATS as a favorite, and 2-2-1 ATS in division games on the year.

New Orleans has been the better team this season and in the series, winning seven of the last ten and two of the last three meetings. Neither team has been great at covering the spread this season as the Saints are 5-10-1 ATS overall while the Falcons are 5-11 ATS overall. As a result, I am taking the moneyline for the New Orleans Saints at -170 when they host the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday afternoon.