Atlanta Falcons bold predictions for Week 18 vs. Saints

To make the playoffs, the Falcons must more than simply a victory versus the Saints.

The Atlanta Falcons still have a chance to win the NFC South division and advance to the postseason in Week 18 if they defeat the New Orleans Saints. Still, the odds are quite slim.

The Falcons (7-9) won’t be able to make the playoffs for the first time since 2017 with just a win. They also need the Carolina Panthers to upset the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a situation the Falcons are accustomed to.

The Panthers’ game back in Week 15, coupled with Atlanta’s loss to the Buccaneers the week before, is what placed the Falcons in such a precarious position to begin with. This is rumored to be the beginning of tensions with head coach Arthur Smith and the team, where possibly his job is at risk after this weekend.

The NFC South as a whole has been a twisting, turning disaster all season long. Even the Buccaneers, who, with a win over the Saints last week, would have secured their third straight division title, couldn’t get it done, making Week 18 the de facto title game.

The Saints (8-8) likewise don’t have an easy path to the playoffs, needing more than just a win on Sunday. A Saints win and Buccaneers loss get New Orleans in, but with a loss, they would need both the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers to lose to clinch the 7th and final seed in the NFC.

The Falcons need the Buccaneers to lose, but they also need a miracle to make it to the postseason because as a club, they have lost three of their previous four games and have been immensely unreliable. Having saying that, let’s dive into some audacious Falcons Week 18 predictions.

The starting quarterback for the past two weeks, Taylor Heinicke, was restricted in practice as of Thursday afternoon and is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game in New Orleans, per the Falcons website. Though it’s highly likely that Desmond Ridder will ultimately make it into the game, like he did last week, Heinicke will likely receive the nod. Not because he intends to give the Falcons a

Jessie Bates III picks off Derek Carr

Jessie Bates, one of only two Falcons players to make the Pro-Bowl, has been tremendous for the Falcons this season, one of the few bright spots on this team as it has fluttered back and forth between wins and losses. He’s third in the NFL with six interceptions, with his last just two weeks ago against the Indianapolis Colts. Bates finishes the year by picking off Derek Carr at least once, who has thrown eight on the year.

Falcons are held to under 300 yards of total offense

The last time these two faced off back in Week 12, the Falcons posted almost 400 yards of total offense, which largely came from the running game (228 yards). That may be a bit different on Sunday. Granted, the disadvantages of the snowy weather in Chicago against the Bears did them no favors last weekend when Atlanta only put up 307 yards of total offense, but still, this team is reeling.

If the rumors are true and Smith has lost the locker room and this time knows they have little chance of making the postseason, there’s probably little inspiration to play, with many possibly hoping it costs Smith his job. Add in the uncertainty, not to mention the inconsistencies, at quarterback, and this doesn’t look good for the Falcons.

Falcons lose to the Saints by two scores

The Saints didn’t exactly do anything noteworthy in their game against the Bucs last week; instead, Tampa Bay committed four turnovers. The quarterback position has been Atlanta’s problem this season, as has been mentioned ad nauseam numerous times already, and even Heinicke was knocked back down to size last weekend.

In terms of turnovers, the Falcons rank 10th in the league, while the Saints rank 8th in terms of takeaways. For Atlanta, that is a poor matchup. That’s how New Orleans finishes Atlanta’s season and wins this game handily.

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