NFL Picks Atlanta Falcons (8-4) vs. New Orleans Saints (6-6): In an NFC South showdown, the third place Atlanta Falcons, travel to the “Big Easy” to take on the last place, New Orleans Saints. With the (9-3) Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers tied atop the NFC South and scheduled to go head-to-head this Monday night, this game between the Falcons and the Saints has serious playoff implications for both teams. This game has a scheduled opening kickoff of 1:15 PM ET (10:15 AM PT) and it can be seen live in HD on FOX.

Odds makers at SBGglobal.com have posted the following Sports Odds for this one, and they’re currently leaning towards the New Orleans Saints [-3] keeping their playoffs hopes alive with a win over the surprising Atlanta Falcons [+3].

The last time these teams met dates back to November 9th of this year, when “rookie of the year” frontrunner Matt Ryan (203-333, 2625 yards, 13 TDs) threw for 248 yards the and 2 touchdowns. The Falcons went on to shock New Orleans by a final score of 34-20.

"We're certainly in good position and we've got an opportunity, so we're excited about that," Ryan said of Atlanta’s playoff hopes. BetUS.com posted the OVER/UNDER for this, NFL Picks: Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints, which is set at a combined total of 51½ points.

For New Orleans, this has been a very disappointing season, to say the least. The Saints will be desperate for a victory at home on Sunday when the Falcons try to go for their third straight win, and complete a sweep of their NFC South rivals. "We sit here at 6-6 and it's disappointing," coach Sean Payton said. "We have four weeks left and certainly understand how everyone else is playing ahead of us and that makes it much more challenging."

The Saints will certainly have to win out, to have any chances of sneaking into the playoffs. To make matters worse, running back Reggie Bush (90 carries, 294 yards, 2 TDs), who returned from a knee injury last week, will have to do it alone out of the backfield. RB Deuce McAllister (89 carries, 317 yards, 4 TDs), and defensive ends Will Smith and Charles Grant were among six players suspended by the NFL for the use of a banned diuretic. They’ll miss the remainder of the regular season for violating the league’s anti-doping policy.

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