Saints host Falcons

The defending world champion New Orleans Saints continue to win games, but they haven’t been covering pointspreads in the regular season.

The 2-0 Saints are 3-9 ATS during their past 12 regular-season matchups. The Saints host 1-1 Atlanta Sunday at 10 a.m. (PT). The Saints are four-point favorites with the ‘over/under’ at 49 ½, the highest NFL odds total of the week.

New Orleans has defeated Atlanta in seven of the past nine meetings, including sweeping the Falcons last year 35-27 at home and 26-23 on the road.

The Falcons covered both games, though, as they were double-digit ‘dogs. The ‘over’ has cashed in four of the last five meetings.

The Saints nipped San Francisco, 25-22, on a field goal at the gun this past Monday night but failed to cover as 4 ½-point road ‘chalk.’ The combined 47 points went ‘over’ the 43 ½-point total.

Reggie Bush suffered a broken right leg in the victory. The early time table on his return is four-to-six weeks. DeShawn Wynn is expected to serve as the primary backup to running back Pierre Thomas. Chris Ivory is in the mix, too, but he’s nursing a sprained knee.

Atlanta lost a running back, too, during its 41-7 home romp against Arizona this past Sunday. Backup tailback Jerious Norwood will miss the rest of the season after suffering a torn ACL in his right knee.

The Falcons easily covered as seven-point favorites against the Cardinals. Jason Snelling rushed for 129 yards and scored three touchdowns. The Falcons ran for 221 yards despite star tailback Michael Turner leaving in the first half with a groin strain after rushing for 75 yards. He’s expected to be ready for the Saints.

Matt Ryan completed 21-of-32 for 225 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions.

The combined 48 points went ‘over’ the 43-point closing total. The Falcons had gone ‘under’ in their previous seven games.

Atlanta wide receiver Roddy White is tied with Dallas’ Miles Austin for the lead in receptions with 20.White also ranks fifth in receiving yards with 189.

The Falcons, however, are going to have to contend with a Saints defense that is healthy and faster than last year with excellent cornerbacks. Ryan doesn’t have as many weapons as Drew Brees does even with Bush sidelined.

The Saints led the NFL last year in total offense averaging 403.8 yards per game and in scoring at 31.9 points per contest. They were the only team to average more than 30 points per game and more than 400 yards.

Brees has all of his receiving weapons back, including Marques Colston, Robert Meachem and tight end Jeremy Shockey. Sean Payton could be the most innovative offensive head coach in the league.

The Falcons blitzed heavily in their first two games against Pittsburgh quarterback Dennis Dixon and Arizona quarterback Derek Anderson. They might have more respect for Brees. The Falcons did force three interceptions and had five sacks versus the Cardinals. The Falcons held the Steelers and Cardinals to a combined 16 points during regulation.

After winning their first Super Bowl, the Saints are 2-0 for the second straight year. That’s the first time they’ve accomplished back-to-back 2-0 starts in their 44-year history.

The Saints, though, have covered only one of their last seven NFC South Division matchups. The ‘under’ has cashed during New Orleans’ past five division games.

Atlanta has covered five of the past six times it has met a foe with a winning mark. The Falcons are used to playing in a dome. They have covered five of the last seven times when playing on artificial turf.

New Orleans is 6-1 ATS in its last seven September games.