Atlanta Falcons: 3 Bold predictions in Week 11 vs. Saints

3. Falcons will force Saints to throw the ball

The first thing that will happen on the side of Atlanta on Sunday afternoon on the road in Week 11 is that the Falcons will try and force New Orleans to throw the ball in the game.

Oftentimes, forcing the Saints to focus on the passing game rather than the running attack is bad news for any opponent and a bad thing to do with the high-powered New Orleans offense.

But in Week 11, the Saints offense will look different without veteran quarterback Drew Brees not taking the field for at least a few weeks while he recovers from injury. Brees reportedly suffered five fractured ribs on both sides of his body and was diagnosed with a collapsed lung during the Week 10 win over San Francisco.

With Brees sidelined, backups Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill will be tasked with the duty of filling in for the veteran quarterback under center for the Saints offense. Atlanta could try and take advantage of the Brees-less offense by forcing Winston, Hill and company to focus on the passing game rather than the potent rushing attack led by Alvin Kamara.

Coming into the game, New Orleans has tallied 2,357 yards through the air with an average of 261.9 yards per game. It will be interesting to see how Winston and Hill will be able to carry the load of the passing offense for the Saints until Brees returns, but until then, the Falcons will aim to allow them to air the ball out in the game on Sunday afternoon.