New Orleans Saints vs Falcons: Who are the experts picking in Week 9?

The New Orleans Saints are hoping to move to 2-1 in the NFC South but the Atlanta Falcons stand in their way of doing so. New Orleans is fresh off a thrilling victory over the Buccaneers while Atlanta fell to the Panthers in a close game.

While the Saints are the better team on paper, you can throw the records of these two squads out the window anytime they meet up. The Falcons play the Saints tough no matter what the occasion is and vice versa. It’s just how division rivalries go, especially one as ferocious as this one.

How do the experts see New Orleans Saints vs Atlanta Falcons playing out?

• Gregg Rosenthal (NFL.com) – Saints 23, Falcons 20
• Will Brinson (CBS Sports) – Saints 31, Falcons 14
• Pete Prisco (CBS Sports) – Saints 24, Falcons 21
• Bleacher Report – Saints 21, Falcons 20

It’s a clean sweep for NOLA in these expert picks and it’s not surprising as to why.

Even without Jameis Winston at quarterback and no Michael Thomas for the rest of the season, the New Orleans Saints have shown they’re a force to be reckoned with simply because of their defense.

Rosenthal feels like not having Winston will be a bigger deal than what people think, stating:

"Just don’t expect it to be easy; these Saints love drama and the downgrade at quarterback is real."

I get that Trevor Siemian is a step down from Winston but Siemian entered the game against one of the best teams in the entire league and played well. He didn’t do anything to hurt the team while he was under center and that’s all you can really ask of the guy.

If Siemian and Taysom Hill split time at the position this week or if it’s just Hill taking the snaps, the offense can do enough to score points. The defense will have to carry the team throughout the season but if the offense can be above average, there’s no reason this team can’t keep winning.

Do you agree with the experts in that this will be a Saints victory?