Thursday night’s NFL pick: Saints vs. Falcons

New Orleans (-1.5) at Atlanta

Ah, the NFC South. Recently renowned as a producer of Super Bowl losers, which is an important part of the American economy, but it is much more than that. It is also a producer of fun, worthless teams! New Orleans and Tampa Bay have each won one Super Bowl; Atlanta and Carolina have combined to lose three, including last year’s historical Falcons debacle. Compare those accomplishments to every other division in football and the NFC South ranks more or less dead last, though you can argue for the NFC South, if you like. Now, the Saints have the fourth-best point differential in football, Carolina is somehow 8-4, and the Falcons haven’t completely blown it yet. No other division has three teams with comparable winning records, so maybe this is the year! But let’s be honest: Probably not. Pick: New Orleans Bruce Arthur