by Rod Pearson
Thursday, Oct 01, 2026
Game Time: 8:15 pm ET, Monday, October 5, 2026
Venue: Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, LA
Where to Watch: ESPN
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Point Spread: Falcons +2.5, Saints -2.5; Over/Under: 47.5 points
Bet365: Point Spread: Falcons +2.5, Saints -2.5; Over/Under: 47.5 points
BetMGM: Point Spread: Falcons +2.5, Saints -2.5; Over/Under: 47.5 points
Season Record
Atlanta Falcons: 1-2 (1st place, NFC South)
New Orleans Saints: 1-2 (1st place, NFC South)
Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Hollywood Sports is on a HOT STREAK in the NFL on a 17-7-1 NFL RUN for +$9,090 PROFIT! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.
Recent Form
Atlanta Falcons: won their last game on the road against the Green Bay Packers 35-14.
New Orleans Saints: lost their last game at home against the Las Vegas Raiders 35-27.
Atlanta Falcons vs New Orleans Saints Preview and Analysis
The Falcons are entering this game with a 1-2 record overall and they have a 0-1 record in their divisional games too. They are 0-1 in their home games, 1-1 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They won their last game against the Green Bay Packers 35-14. Michael Penix Jr. was the starting QB and he completed 18/25 passes for 256 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. Bijan Robinson led the team in rushing yards with 194 and 2 TDs. Drake London led the receivers with 194 receiving yards on 9 receptions. C.J. Henderson led the defense in that game with 8 solo tackles while Cameron Thomas led the defense in sacks with 1. Xavier Watts came away with the only interception for them in that one.
The Saints are entering this game with a 1-2 record overall and they have a 0-0 record in their divisional games too. They are 0-1 in their home games, 1-1 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They lost their last game against the Las Vegas Raiders 35-27. Tyler Shough was the starting QB and he completed 29/42 passes for 255 passing yards, 4 touchdowns, and 1 interception. Travis Etienne Jr. led the team in rushing yards with 57. Chris Olave led the receivers with 107 receiving yards on 9 receptions. Kaden Elliss led the defense in that game with 9 solo tackles while Chase Young led the defense in sacks with 2. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that one.
Falcons vs Saints Prediction
The current betting odds have the Falcons listed as a 2.5 point underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Falcons haven't looked good in their games this season with their 1-2 record overall, but that record has them right near the top of the NFC South. They haven't been a great road team either with their 1-1 road record this year. Meanwhile, the Saints haven't looked great in their games this season with their 1-2 record overall, but that record has them right near the top of the NFC South. They haven't looked great on their home field though with their 0-1 home record this season. The Saints are coming off a 35-27 loss to the Raiders at home in their last one. The Saints had a pretty good start to the season as they took the Lions to OT in week 1, losing 31-30 with a chance to win on a 2-point conversion, and then they pulled off a comeback win on the road against the Ravens the next week. The offense has looked really good with Tyler Shough, but the defense has been a big issue still and has been the reason for their losses. Their defense has been giving up a ton of points in all 3 games this year and now that blown lead at home against the Raiders has them searching for answers. The Falcons had one of the worst start to the NFL season and looked terrible in their first 2 games with no offense since they didn't really have a QB, but Penix came back last week and the team has done a 180. They are coming off a 35-14 road win over the Packers in their last one and not only did their offense look a lot better with Penix running it, they also had complete control of that game. That game was on Thursday too, so now the Falcons have had extra time to prepare for this divisional game and have all of the momentum on their side with a chance to go to 1st place here. The best way to place a bet here is on the Falcons to cover the spread in this game.
Falcons Saints Prediction: Our NFL Pick for Monday, October 5, 2026 (8:15 pm ET start time) is Falcons 24 Saints 17.
Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert football picks today. And if you enjoyed this Atlanta Falcons New Orleans Saints prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NFL predictions and previews.
NFL Betting Trends
Atlanta Falcons: 1-5 ATS off a upset win as an underdog. 5-10 ATS after playing their last game on the road. 0-4 ATS after a win by 14 or more points. 11-5 UNDER in games where the line is +3 to -3. 8-3 UNDER when playing against a team with a losing record.
New Orleans Saints: 3-0 ATS off an upset loss as a favorite. 7-3 ATS versus good rushing teams - averaging 4.5 rushing yards/carry or more. 5-1 ATS versus good rushing teams - averaging 130 rushing yards/game or more. 12-6 UNDER in home games. 5-0 UNDER in a home game where the total is greater than or equal to 45.5.
Key Injuries
Atlanta Falcons: None.
New Orleans Saints: None.
Notable Quotes
"We're gonna use all of this time to our advantage, so today will be about watching some tape, cleaning things up on offense, defense, special teams. Going out on the field and really refining what we're doing. So (we'll) spend a little bit more time in individuals and work on fundamentals and techniques." - Kevin Stefanski on having extra days to prep for this game.
“Turnovers in the fourth quarter got us and we weren’t able to overcome those. Those guys finished better than us. We had our opportunities and we didn’t get it done.” - Kellen Moore after his team’s loss against the Raiders in their last game.
Starting Lineups
Atlanta Falcons
WR London, Drake
WR Dotson, Jahan
WR Zaccheaus, Olamide
TE Pitts Sr., Kyle
QB Penix Jr., Michael
RB Robinson, Bijan
New Orleans Saints
WR Olave, Chris
WR Lance, Bryce
WR Vele, Devaughn
TE Johnson, Juwan
QB Shough, Tyler
RB Kamara, Alvin
Statistical Leaders
Atlanta Falcons
Passing: Michael Penix Jr. (258)
Rushing: Bijan Robinson (349)
Receiving: Drake London (274)
Touchdowns: Bijan Robinson (3)
New Orleans Saints
Passing: Tyler Shough (917)
Rushing: Travis Etienne Jr. (128)
Receiving: Chris Olave (375)
Touchdowns: Noah Fant (3)
Coaches:
Atlanta Falcons: Kevin Stefanski (1st season)
New Orleans Saints: Kellen Moore (2nd season)
Rod Pearson
About the Author:
Rod Pearson has been a rabid sports fan his entire life. He grew up in Ontario, and was skilled in both hockey and baseball, and pitched in an elite baseball league for many years. In 2022, Rod decided to hang up his glove, so that he could write about the sports he loves -- but from a gambling perspective. Join Rod every day as he breaks down the games to find the best betting value.
