I expect a solid effort from the Saints under interim head coach Darren Rizzi, but I simply don't think they have the talent and depth to shut the Falcons down on Sunday.

Rookie Mason Tipton has topped this just once all season and didn't have a single catch last week but some wideout has to catch a few balls today from Derek Carr with Chris Olave and Cedrick Wilson both out. The former Yale star Tipton has the most targets and snaps of any healthy Saints wide receiver. One of our books has Over 2.5 at nearly -200 so some value here.

Interesting to see this tick down given the public is heavy on Atlanta. Sharps must be on New Orleans. OK. The Falcons are the right side. Even if you trust the Saints rallying for their interim coach, they are missing two major receivers and traded Marshon Lattimore, drastically reducing their talent quotient. If Atlanta can somewhat contain Alvin Kamara, it should win by margin. Derek Carr playing is positive for New Orleans, but he’s thrown 6 TD to 4 INT over his last five. In that span, Kirk Cousins has rounded into form with 13 TD and 3 INT. Drake London is active giving Cousins his top weapon, Kyle Pitts has come on late and Bijan Robinson should get his against the NFL's fifth-worst D.

New Orleans should have won the previous meeting between these teams this season, but the Saints were a different team then. Dennis Allen is out as head coach, Marshon Lattimore has been traded, and wide receivers Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed are on Injured Reserve. I expect the Saints to play hard for interim head coach Darren Rizzi, but they are simply out-matched by this Falcons team. I like Atlanta by a touchdown here.

Maybe the Falcons are legit. I'm still skeptical and would much prefer to play -3 cautiously but it's not available and surely won't be with Drake London expected to go. No Chris Olave for the Saints so Derek Carr's receiving group is pretty bad. And the front office told the players this week it is waiving the white flag by trading away maybe the best defensive player it has in cornerback Marshon Lattimore. And of course fired Coach Dennis Allen on Monday. Just a wayward franchise right now.

After seven straight losses the Saints have moved on from Dennis Allen. Sunday’s matchup against the Falcons presents a rematch the Saints arguably should of won earlier in the season. Atlanta failed to get into the end zone offensively, in what was a back and forth contest. Expect the Saints to show some life after an embarrassing road loss last week to Carolina. Play the Saints.

The Falcons rank 31st in pressure rate, so Derek Carr should have time to find his targets, depleted though they may be. New Orleans has lost seven straight but will get a jolt from Darren Rizzi replacing Dennis Allen. I believe we'll get a max effort from the Saints, who clearly love Rizzi and might have lost some respect for Allen and his play-not-to-lose style. Alvin Kamara accounted for 116 yards from scrimmage in the first meeting, a 26-24 Atlanta win, and he'll make a huge impact Sunday.

I simply find this prop amusing because Kirk Cousins is a statue at this point and has landed Under this in every game but one -- in which he had a 13-yard scamper. In five games, he finished with negative yardage. Cousins didn't have a rush attempt in the first meeting with New Orleans.

Robinson's legs are being relied on more than earlier in the season; 15+ carries in 3 of the last 4 games and 86+ rushing yards in 3 of 4 as well. Last year, against the Saints, he went for 91 in one game and 48 in the other. However, NO run R is even more porous now than then. they are 31st in run D EPA (-8.47), allowing 5.1/carry. Volume in the run game has been a big problem for them and at least lately, this division of labor in the backfield has been more heavily for Robinson and less spread around. He is at 105 scrimmage yards in 4 straight and over 100 in 6 of 9. Can take a screen pass to house.

Teams with interim coaches working their first game tend to improve matters but still are 16-22 straight-up this century. Canned coach Dennis Allen reluctantly hands the reins to Darren Rizzi, who has yet to be in charge in the NFL. The Saints have dropped seven in a row outright, most recently to the league's presumed walkover opponent (Carolina). How can they be receiving a mere field goal against a foe on a 5-1 SU roll? QB Derek Carr might be back from injury rehab but does not have much to work with. WR Chris Olave, coping with his second concussion, would seem a likely scratch. The Falcons' offense is ranked seventh, the Saints' 21st. Flip those numbers, and you could have the final score: 21-7.

The Saints fired head coach Dennis Allen on Monday, and oftentimes a coach firing sparks an improvement in the short-term, which I believe will be the case here as Allen was long considered a bottom-tier coach. The Saints outplayed the Panthers statistically despite the loss, and their offensive line issues should be masked in this matchup by the toothless Atlanta pass rush as they were in the first meeting between these teams, which Atlanta won on a last-second 58-yard field goal as 2.5-point favorites. The Saints' WR injuries don't swing the line this much, and Atlanta is dealing with key injuries to Drake London and Grady Jarrett as well. Take the hook while it's available, but this should be closer to pick 'em.

Dennis Allen is one of worst head coaches in recent NFL history, and his team is now tied with the Panthers at the bottom of the NFC, having only split that series. Derek Carr is a marginal QB and Saints defense looks like it is out of gas and ideas. Saints have failed to cover in five straight; Falcons have covered in 4 of the last 5. Atlanta beat them by 2 earlier this season despite putting up just 315 yards; they will be far more productive here. Four of the Saints last five losses have been by double digits. This feels like another one to me for a roster that is calling out for change at the coaching spot. Road spot doesn't scare me.