Betting Lines For Saints And Falcons

[SaintRay]

DETROIT LIONS (10-6, 5-3 road) at NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (13-3, 8-0 home)

Time: 8:00pm ET, Saturday

Opening line: New Orleans -9.5/58

Current line: New Orleans -10.5/59

Detroit Lions: 7-7-2 against the spread, OVER is 10-6

New Orleans Saints: 12-4 against the spread, OVER is 9-7

Analysis: Sean Payton's New Orleans Saints enter the postseason as the hottest team in the league. The WhoDats have won eight straight games since falling 31-21 at St. Louis back on October 30 and have perhaps the biggest home-field advantage in the NFL. The Saints went 8-0 straight up and against the spread at the Voodoo Dome in 2011, winning by an astounding average of 23.3 points per game.

While the Detroit Lions exceeded the expectations of many by winning ten games this season, they enter their first postseason showdown since January 8, 2000, coming off an embarrassing 45-41 road loss to the Green Bay Packers and backup quarterback Matt Flynn, who threw for a team-record 480 yards and six touchdowns against this shoddy secondary.

These two teams met in the Big Easy back on December 4, with the Saints waxing the Lions 31-17 in a game that featured a Detroit team who committed 11 penalties for 107 yards.

In a matchup that features two of the NFL's top-four scoring offenses, it's no surprise to see that this showdown opened with a higher total (58) than any other game in postseason history.

We know the Saints will score their share of points, but the question is whether or not the Lions can keep pace.

ATLANTA FALCONS (10-6, 4-4 road) at NEW YORK GIANTS (9-7, 4-4 home)

Time: 1:00pm ET, Sunday

Opening line: New York -3/49

Current line: New York -3/49

Atlanta Falcons: 7-8-1 against the spread, UNDER is 9-7

New York Giants: 8-7-1 against the spread, OVER is 8-7-1

Analysis: Forget about that six-week stretch that saw the New York Giants drop five of six games. Big Blue enters the postseason on the heels of two very impressive must-win victories over the New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys, respectively. The Giants have momentum, confidence and a defense that finally decided to wake up on their side as they prepare to make another run at the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

The same thing can almost be said about the Atlanta Falcons, who after getting pasted 45-16 at New Orleans in Week 16 bounced back with a 45-24 ***-kicking of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this past Sunday. The Falcons have covered the number in three of their last four games, but are just 3-5 ATS on the road this season and 1-3 ATS on the road in games played outdoors.

The key to this matchup will be Atlanta's ability to keep quarterback Matt Ryan upright against the onslaught of speed and pressure generated from one of the nastiest defensive lines in football. Big Blue finished the regular season ranked third in the NFL in sacks (48).

A total of 49 makes a lot of sense when you take into account the fact that both the Falcons (20th, 236.6 yds/gm) and Giants (29th, 255.1 yds/gm) struggled mightily this season to limit their opponent’s passing attacks.

[Joremarid]

I would take the over in both