The Atlanta Falcons Falcons are trailing all their competition in the NFC South, and they need a win bad to keep in pace with the rest of them. Meanwhile, the Texans are looking to get at least a share of the top spot in the tight race in the AFC South. The Falcons are +10000 to win Super Bowl 54, while the Texans are +3500 to do it.
It’s been rough so far for the Falcons this season. They failed at their attempt to build more momentum following a win against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 3, as they got dealt by the Tennessee Titans with a 24-10 defeat at home last Sunday. The loss wasted Matt Ryan’s effort that resulted in 397 passing yards on 35-of-53 completions. The Falcons are sorely missing a solid run game to complement Ryan’s arms, as they are only 27th in the NFL with a paltry output of 70.7 rushing yards per game. It’s important that Ryan and Julio Jones play some sweet music early in the Texans game to spread out the Texans’ defense wide enough to give Devonta Freeman and Ito Smith gaps to run through. Julio JOnes only had 52 receiving yards on four targets in the loss to the Titans.
The under is 3-1 in the Falcons’ last four games overall.
Betting on the Houston Texans (2-2)
After winning two games in a row, the Texans got tripped up by Kyle Allen and the Carolina Panthers in Week 3 in a 16-10 home loss. Once again, the Texans didn’t protect Deshaun Watson well, as he was sacked six times for a loss of 32 yards. He finished with just 160 passing yards on 21-of-33 completions. That bad pass protection is wasting opportunity for Watson to work with talented wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who only had 41 receiving yards on five catches and eight targets. However, Watson is likely to have more time in the pocket and less pressure to deal with on Sunday. The Falcons are just 29th in the league with a 3.94 defensive quarterback sack percentage. Atlanta didn’t even manage to record a sack in last week’s date with Tennessee, allowing Marcus Mariota to have a three-touchdown game.
The Texans are 7-3 straight up (SU) in their last 10 home games.
