The 2022 NFL season is finally here and the Week 1 schedule is chock full of exciting showdowns. A pair of NFC South rivals meet head-to-head as the New Orleans Saints travel to take on the Atlanta Falcons. Fresh faces on both rosters should make for contest worth keeping an eye on.
New Orleans' season is likely going to hang on quarterback Jameis Winston's ability to move the ball down the field. He is set to return from an ACL injury and is surrounded by shiny new weapons like Michael Thomas and Chris Olave. Meanwhile, the Falcons enter a new era with Marcus Mariota at QB.
Should the Saints really be substantial road favorites given how many players are just returning from injury? Will the Falcons start the season off with an unexpected victory? Here's what projection models and experts across the industry have to say about the Saints vs Falcons Week 1 matchup.
Saints vs Falcons Projections
numberFire:'Saints (73.0%)
FiveThirtyEight:'Saints (64%)
Betting Favorite:'Saints (-5.5)
Projected Winner:'Saints (4)
Saints vs Falcons Expert Picks
ESPN Experts:'Saints (8), Falcons (1)
Sports Illustrated Experts:'Saints (4), Falcons (1)
CBS Sports Experts:'Saints (8)
Expert Totals:'Saints (20), Falcons (2)
It's not hard to tell that there's a clear consensus here. Over 90% of the NFL experts are on board for a Saints victory in Week 1, which lines up with with what the betting markets are saying.
None of the projections models give the Falcons more than a 36% chance of kicking the season off with a win in front of their home crowd.
All signs point to a blowout win or a huge upset happening when this matchup goes down on Sunday.