The last time the Atlanta Falcons saw the Philadelphia Eagles on the field, their Super Bowl aspirations in 2017 went down in flames in the divisional round. Matt Ryan and company will get their chance for a mini-payback this Thursday, when they pay the Eagles a visit at Lincoln Financial Field. Read on for a preview of this intriguing matchup between two Super Bowl contenders.
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Betting Preview for the Atlanta Falcons vs Philadelphia Eagles NFL Season Week 1 Game on September 9, 2018
Where: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
When: Thursday, September 6, 2018, 8:20 PM ET
Line: Atlanta Falcons (+2.5) vs Philadelphia Eagles (-2.5) – view all 2018 NFL lines
TV Broadcast: NBC
Betting on the Atlanta Falcons (+2.5)
After going winless in the preseason, it’s now time for the Falcons to show why they’re among the legitimate contenders for the Super Bowl this season. And they will have a chance to prove that out of the gate against the last team they faced last season in the form of the Eagles, who beat Atlanta in a divisional round match last season.
As usual, the Falcons’ offense will be mainly orchestrated by quarterback Matt Ryan, who passed for 4,095 yards, 20 touchdowns with 12 interceptions in 17. That’s almost 900 passing yards and 18 touchdowns in drop off and five more picks than what he had in 2016, but Ryan had just signed one of the biggest contracts in league history, so Atlanta is betting on him to continue being an effective gunslinger. The Falcons also still have the backfield tandem of Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman and a talented rookie addition to their receiving corps in Alabama product Calvin Ridley.
One thing about Atlanta last season is that the team wasn’t great in covering the spread, as the Falcons finished the 2017 campaign with just an 8-10 ATS record.
Betting on the Philadelphia Eagles (-2.5)
The defending Super Bowl champs will open their title defense at home. And speaking of defense, the Eagles’ stop unit, on paper at the very least, arguably is the best in the league. Philly already had one of the scariest defenses in 2017, when the team ranked fourth in the league with just 18.2 points allowed per game, 10th with only 322.7 total yards given up. The Eagles were also the best against the run with a mere 80.8 rushing yards surrendered per contest. But now, they’re bound to get even better on that front after signing Haloti Ngata and trading for Michael Bennett in the offseason. Then they also re-signed Chris Long to help the team in pass rushing from the edges.
Of course, the big question heading into the game is who between Carson Wentz and Nick Foles is going to start under center. Wentz has spent the offseason rehabilitating from a knee surgery, while Foles hasn’t played up to snuff in the preseason. Wentz, however, hasn’t been cleared for contact yet as of this writing, so it’s very possible that it’s going to be Foles getting the starting duties against the Falcons.
Foles went 23-of-30 for 246 yards without a touchdown nor an interception in the Eagles’ 15-10 win over the Falcons in last season’s divisional round.
The Eagles led the league last season with a 13-6-0 ATS record. They are also 7-3 ATS in their last 10 home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Atlanta wins, 27-24.
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