New Orleans Saints: Why the Atlanta Falcons are still dangerous

The Atlanta Falcons have been nothing short of awful this season but the New Orleans Saints cannot let that influence how they prepare for this game.

The New Orleans Saints have been one of the best teams in the entire NFL and it has been rather surprising. While the expectations were high heading into the season, they also plummeted when Drew Brees went down with a torn thumb ligament. A 7-1 record did not seem possible after starting 1-1.

On the contrary, one of the more surprising bad teams this season has been the Atlanta Falcons. Although the Falcons did struggle last season as well, the team still looked primed to make some noise this year. That has not been the case.

The Falcons defense has been awful and the coaching has been even worse, leading the team to a 1-7 record. Three seasons after having a 28-3 lead at halftime in the Super Bowl, the Falcons are one of the worst teams in the league.

More from Big Easy Believer

• New Orleans Saints: Three biggest questions heading into the offseason
• New Orleans Saints: Three positives to take from playoff loss
• New Orleans Pelicans: Betting guide vs. Sacramento Kings
• New Orleans Saints: Bold predictions for Wild Card Round vs. Vikings
• New Orleans Pelicans: Betting guide in Los Angeles Lakers rematch

That has seemingly made the New Orleans Saints home game in Week 10 a cakewalk, and understandably so. A 7-1 team hosting a 1-7 team often leads to a lopsided result.

However, the Falcons are still very dangerous and should not be taken lightly. While the chances of this happening are still very slim, the Falcons could conceivably upset the Saints if the team is not prepared properly.

First of all, the Falcons are coming off of a bye week. While the Saints are as well, this bye week is extremely important for the Falcons as it gives the coaching time some time to take a step back and reflect what has gone wrong thus far.

The Falcons are 9-3 after a bye week since 2010, the Saints are 8-2.

Another reason why this game is sneakily dangerous for the Saints is the fact that it is a division game against the team’s biggest rival. It does not matter how bad and how good either team is, both teams are going to get up for this game and are going to play their best football. It is the natural result of division games.

And while the Falcons’ defense has been atrocious, they still have some good playmakers. Julio Jones is having yet another elite season while Calvin Ridley is on pace for 886 yards as the second receiving option.

Devonta Freeman has not been great this season but is still a really talented back and Matt Ryan actually has not been that bad this year. Ryan had 300 yards passing in every single game prior to Week 7, when he was hurt, with a 70.9 completion percentage.

There is an outside chance that Ryan does not play, but it appears that he will and will be fired up against the Saints,

And hey, maybe the fact that this is a rivalry game will push the defense to be better, or perhaps even a new defensive scheme developed over the bye week could surprise the Saints.

Regardless, while there is still a very good chance that the New Orleans Saints win this game, I would not overlook the Atlanta Falcons and consider this a lock.