The Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints square off in a critical NFC South division game right out of the gate in Week 1 of the 2013 NFL regular season. Fox will bring the coverage regionally for this division game, kicking off at 1pm ET on Sunday, September 8.
- When:
Sun, Sept. 8th, 2013 @ 1:00pm ET
- Where:
La. Superdome, New Orleans, LA
- Who’s Favored?
Saints by 3 ~ 54 o/u @ BetOnline
- More Info:
There is no love lost between these two rivals in the NFC South. They have combined to own the division over the last several seasons, creating quite the animosity between the two fan bases.
The difference this year though is that New Orleans head coach Sean Payton is back on the sideline, after serving his year-long suspension. The Saints struggled in his absence, especially on defense. New Orleans had the worst defense in the league last season.
Insert defensive coordinator Rob Ryan into the equation, and the Saints are trying to improve in that area. They must if they hope to contend with Atlanta this season. This new New Orleans defense will be tested by an Atlanta offense that might be the best in the league, adding a much-needed element to the run game in Steven Jackson in the offseason.
Jackson might be the key to the Falcons success this season, as he is utilized as an every-down back. Combine that with the already stellar passing game, and the Falcons are sitting pretty.
This is a huge matchup in Week 1, and can set the tone for how both the Saints and Falcons could far late in the division fighting for the postseason.
Expect there to be plenty of offense in this one, with both Drew Brees and Matt Ryan airing it out down the field.