With the way things have been running in the NFL these days, losing to the Cleveland Browns is far less embarrassing than being an NFC South team. The Falcons had it both ways when they lost to Cleveland in Week 12, thus cuing their fall to second place in the least-exciting division in the NFL.
Will the Falcons regroup and earn a win on Sunday against the visiting Arizona Cardinals? Or will the NFC leaders Cardinals, fresh off their first loss in seven weeks, keep their division rivals at bay with a win over Atlanta?
You can also check out our complete NFL Week 13 picks and predictions here.
[sc:Football ]
Arizona Cardinals vs. Atlanta Falcons Betting Preview and Prediction
Where: Georgia Dome, Atlanta
When: Sunday, November 30, 4:05 PM ET
Line: Arizona Cardinals (-2.5) at Atlanta Falcons (+2.5); total: 44.5 – see all NFL lines
Betting on the Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals have suffered injuries to their key players this season and yet still managed to become the leader in the heavyweight-filled NFC West. However, the Cards can only take so much, and when the news that Larry Fitzgerald (knee) would miss the game against Seattle, it felt like a punch to the mouth for a team that was already missing Carson Palmer (knee).
[sc:NFL240banner ]The absence of both players pretty much spelled doom for the Cards, who lost 19-3 Sunday against the defending champions.
Without Fitzgerald, backup quarterback Drew Stanton looked every bit a second fiddle to Palmer. Stanton completed 14 of 26 passes for 149 yards with no touchdowns and an interception. Stanton was left to utilize what’s left of the receiving corps, led by John Brown and Andre Ellington, who only came up with 24 and 23 yards, respectively. The absence of Fitzgerald made it easy for the Seahawks’ vaunted secondary to read Stanton and break up Arizona’s plays.
Whether Fitzgerald will return to play next Sunday or not, the Cards should be able to dissect Atlanta’s defense with relative ease, as the Falcons’ pass defense ranks worst in allowed passing yards with 284.1 given up per game.
The rushing game of the Cards remained practically non-existent, as the team’s backfield only generated 64 yards against Seattle. Expect Ellington (648 rushing yards, 3 touchdowns) and Stepfan Taylor (83 yards, 1 touchdown) to be given heavier rushing workloads than usual to inject dynamism to the team’s offense that has a tendency to become predictable given the absence of Palmer and Fitzgerald .
The Cardinals are 5-2 ATS in their last seven road games.
The Falcons played the Cleveland Browns Sunday just like their 4-6 record suggested they should: badly. Carried by the momentum of a two-game winning streak, the Falcons were on the cusp of reeling in their third-straight victory, but a late game defensive lapse allowed the Browns to snatch a 26-24 win.
Up by 23-24 with 44 seconds left in the game, the Falcons left their fates in the hands of their much-maligned defense, which then allowed Brian Hoyer to mount a 61-yard drive that ended on a game-winning field goal by Billy Cundiff. Overall, the Falcons allowed the Browns to compile 475 total yards, 313 passing and 162 rushing.
On offense, Matt Ryan, who had an unimpressive performance against the Browns (273 yards and two touchdowns with an interception) will have a chance to bounce back next Sunday. He will be up against Arizona’s passing defense that is 25th in the NFL with 254.6 passing yards allowed per game.
The Falcons are 4-2 ATS in their last six games as the home team.
