The 5-8 Atlanta Falcons will be looking to maintain their razor-thin lead over the New Orleans Saints in the underachieving NFC South when they play host to the Pittsburgh Steelers as two-point underdogs at the sportsbooks this week.
The Falcons enter the weekend deadlocked with the Saints atop the division, but hold the edge over New Orleans on the strength of their 37-34 overtime win over the Saints in their season-opening matchup.
However, while the tiebreaker currently favors Atlanta the NFL futures odds are clearly in the Saints’ favor, with New Orleans pegged as a 10/11 favorite to emerge as the NFC South champion followed by the Falcons at 7/4. The Saints also enjoy dramatically stronger Super Bowl odds, pegged at 50/1 compared to Atlanta’s 100/1 line.
Despite the confidence of oddsmakers, the Saints will be in tough in their matchup with the Chicago Bears. New Orleans is favored by three over a 5-8 Bears squad that is 2-1 SU and ATS in their last three at home, and 4-2 SU in their last six against the Saints.
An Atlanta win over the Steelers combined with a Saints loss would be devastating for New Orleans. The division rivals face off in Week 16, a matchup that will likely be a must-win for the Saints regardless of what happens this weekend.
The 10-4 Arizona Cardinals look to maintain their slim lead atop the NFC West against the surging St. Louis Rams on Thursday night as 4.5-point road underdogs at the sportsbooks. The Cards posted a 31-14 win over St. Louis in Week 10, covering as seven-point home favorites, while losing QB Carson Palmer to a season-ending injury.
Arizona is just 2-2 SU and ATS since that matchup, struggling to produce an average of 13 points per game, while St. Louis has since gone 3-1 SU and 4-0 ATS and rides a two-game shutout streak into Thursday night’s Cards vs. Rams game at the Edward Jones Dome. The Cards’ woes have impacted their Super Bowl odds, tumbling to 25/1.
The Seahawks will be gunning for a fourth consecutive SU win when they face the fading San Francisco 49ers as 10-point home favorites. Seattle is 6-1 SU in their last seven to return to the upper crust of the Super Bowl betting lines with odds of 5/1. The 7-6 Niners have lost two straight SU and ATS, putting them on the verge of elimination from playoff contention.
In other Week 15 action that can change the face of the Super Bowl betting odds, top spot in the NFC East will be in play when the Philadelphia Eagles host the Dallas Cowboys as three-point favorites.
Deadlocked at 9-4 with the Eagles atop the division, the Cowboys are in a must-win situation. A SU loss would likely end Big D’s hopes of a division title and devastate their already long Super Bowl odds of 20/1, while boosting the Eagles, who enter the weekend at a strong 16/1 on those NFL betting futures.