Below are five reasons why the Saints will defeat the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night.

Actually, that should probably read "might defeat", but truthfully, I do think the Saints have a good shot at winning, despite playing on the road on a Thursday evening.

In another segment, Greg Larnerd gives 5 reasons why the Saints will lose.

5 reasons why the Saints will defeat the Falcons:

1)---Falcons Rush Defense: Atlanta ranks 18th in the NFL in rush defense, allowing 113.2 rush yards-per-game, while New Orleans ranks 3rd in the league in rushing, at 142.6 yards-per-game. Just last week, Latavius Murray and Jerick McKinnon of the Vikings combined to rush for 100 yards. The way Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara are playing, things don't bode well for the Falcons, in terms of stopping the run. Ingram has a toe injury, and is questionable, but Kamara is certainly capable of carrying the load, if need be. This looks like a good match-up for the Saints, who should have success on the ground.

2)---Cameron Jordan: One of the more underrated players in the NFL over the last few seasons, Jordan is finally getting the acclaim he deserves, and with good reason. 12 games through the season, he has 52 total tackles, which puts him on pace to have 70, which would be a career-high. He also has 10 sacks, which puts him in the top 15 in the league, and on pace to compile 14, which would be another career-high. As good as he's been, Jordan is having a career-year, and Atlanta doesn't have anybody up front that looks like they can slow him down.

3)---Saints Defense: The Falcons are a really good offensive team, but the Saints have been very good defensively, since Week 3, and most of the year, ranking 12th in the NFL, allowing 330.1 yards-per-game. Yes, they did allow 26 points to the Rams two weeks ago, but they were playing without Marshon Lattimore and Ken Crawley, both of their starting cornerbacks. Again, the Falcons have done a nice job, offensively, this season, ranking in the top ten in league, but look for them to have a tougher time moving the ball against the Saints' defense.

4)---Pressure On The QB: The Saints are tied for 7th in the league, with 33 sacks, while ranking third in fewest sacks allowed, giving up only 12. If you get to the quarterback, while not allowing others to get to yours, you normally win; which is what the Saints have done this season. Remember how so many Saints fans were upset that the team drafted Lattimore instead of a pass rusher in the first round back in April. As it turns out, Lattimore turned out to be a great pick, and the Saints still greatly improved their pass rush.

5)---Falcons Have Been Fortunate: Yes, Atlanta has lost 4 of their 5 games by less than a touchdown, but they also won 4 of their 7 games by less than a touchdown. The Falcons were extremely fortunate to beat the Bears in their season opener, while also getting smiled upon in their wins over the Lions, Jets, and Seahawks. It's a must-win for the Falcons, who are very talented, so it is a scary game, but the fact remains that the Saints have simply been a better team this season.

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