Saints vs. Falcons: TV Info, Spread, Injury Updates, Game Time and More

An NFC South clash is the appetizer to Week 12 NFL action as the New Orleans Saints travel to take on the Atlanta Falcons.

Quarterback Drew Brees and the Saints reside in first in the division at 8-2 and can still obtain favorable playoff seeding with a strong finish. Only Seattle has a better record in the conference. A win over a contender in San Francisco last week sent a message to the rest of the NFL.

Things have been the complete opposite for the 2-8 Falcons. Injuries have derailed the season, and quarterback Matt Ryan is struggling to compensate. He's not helped by a defense that allows just outside of 30 points per game.

Thursday Night Football has plenty on the line for one side, and Atlanta would surely love nothing more than to play the spoiler in what should be an entertaining offensive affair. Here's everything fans need to know.

When: Thursday, Nov. 21, at 8:25 p.m. ET

Where: Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Ga.

Watch: NFL Network

Live Stream: NFL Sunday Ticket

Betting Lines (via Vegas Insider) 

• Over/Under: 53
• Spread: New Orleans (-7.5)

Saints Injury Report (via NFL.com) 

Injuries unavailable as of 11/19.

Falcons Injury Report (via NFL.com) 

Injuries unavailable as of 11/19.

Can the Falcons Remain Competitive?

We've reached that point in the season—can a bad team play the spoiler?

The Falcons have been anything but competitive in recent weeks. In fact, quarterback Matt Ryan has seen his team drop four straight—all by 13 or more points.

That's a bad omen for a game against the New Orleans offense.

These rivals met in Week 1 when things were vastly different. Steven Jackson was in a new home and supposed to be the answer. Tony Gonzalez was back one more time for a run at a championship. We could go on—Atlanta lost 23-17 as Brees threw for 357 yards and two scores.

Jackson has been anything but effective during the four-game skid:

Week/Opp	ATT	YDS	AVG	LNG	TD	REC	YDS
Week 8 @ ARZ	11	6	0.5	4	0	3	7
Week 9 @ CAR	13	57	4.4	13	0	3	19
Week 10 vs. SEA	9	11	1.2	5	0	3	9
Week 11 @ TB	11	41	3.7	15	0	2	24

The same goes for Ryan, who has thrown five touchdowns to nine interceptions. Gonzalez is guilty too with 199 yards and a touchdown. The defense? It has allowed 135 points during the drought.

Can Atlanta get it back together for an NFC South clash?

Prediction

Probably not.

We're talking about a Saints offense that put up 625 total yards, 49 points and an NFL-record 40 first downs on a Dallas defense in Week 10—a Dallas defense that surrenders fewer points per game than Atlanta's woeful unit.

Ryan simply does not have the weapons to keep up. The ability? Sure. But not the talent around him. It doesn't help that Rob Ryan's defense ranks No. 3 overall against the pass with just 191.4 passing yards allowed per game.

Atlanta has little it can do to stunt the New Orleans attack, home game or not. In another sloppy Thursday Night Football affair, expect this one to be decided by halftime.

Final Score: Saints 35, Falcons 17

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