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Week 13 NFL experts picks: Falcons a trendy pick to avoid Saints’ sweep

Can the New Orleans Saints sweep the Atlanta Falcons with a Week 13 win? Sure, they can. But it might not be the likeliest outcome. The Saints have only swept Atlanta once in the last four seasons, winning both matchups in 2018. There’s good reasons for this rivalry being the NFL’s best: unlike, say, Packers-Bears, it’s actually competitive.

And per NFL Pickwatch, the experts are taking notice. While the Saints manhandled the Falcons in their Week 11 meeting, Atlanta’s surprising blowout win against the Las Vegas Raiders has the experts conflicted. While 75% of picks are coming in for the Saints to pull off the sweep, a solid 25% minority are taking the Falcons.

Maybe it works out for them. The Saints are 2-1 at the Falcons’ Mercedes-Benz Stadium since its opening in 2017, and Taysom Hill turned in an uninspiring performance against the more-complex Denver Broncos pass defense a week ago. It’s possible Atlanta learned some things.

Then again, it’s possible the Saints still haven’t taken the training wheels off Hill’s version of the Saints offense. With a playoff-clinching scenario on hand, it’s time for Hill and the Saints to pull out all the stops and bring the hammer down on the Falcons.

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