The well-rested Atlanta Falcons are coming to the nation’s capital fresh – thanks to a bye week rest – and feeling optimistic after winning their last two games. The Washington Redskins, on the other hand, are also feeling good, having won all of their last three games.
The 3-4 Falcons are +3,000 to win the NFC South, while the 5-2 Redskins are +120 to take home the NFC East title.
The Falcons headed into their Week 8 bye on a positive note, as they beat the New York Giants at home in Week 7 to the tune of a 23-20 score. One of the biggest takeaways from that game for the Falcons was that that their defense showed it could bite. The Falcons are allowing 30.3 points per game, but Atlanta shed a third off of that average against New York, thanks in large part to a ferocious pass rush, as Eli Manning was sacked four times for a loss of 27 yards. Of course, Atlanta’s work was made easier by the Giants’ Kleenex-soft offensive line, but that still could’ve lit up a fire underneath the Falcons’ defense heading into a matchup with Washington’s seemingly tight pass protection. On offense, the Falcons can never be underestimated so long as Matt Ryan and Julio Jones are both on the field. The Falcons are 11th in the league in scoring offense with 27.1 points per game and third in passing yards with 317.7 per contest.
On the road, the Falcons are both 0-2 straight up (SU) against the spread (ATS) thus far this season.
Betting on the Washington Redskins (5-2)
Adrian Peterson is here to stay. When the Redskins signed Purple Jesus prior to this season, he was only viewed as a mere insurance in the team’s running back position. Well, some weeks later, he turned out to be Washington’s undisputed backfield bell cow, thanks to the injury bug biting almost every Redskins running back not named Adrian Peterson. In last week’s 20-13 win over the New York Giants, Peterson exploded for 149 rushing yards and a touchdown on 26 carries. Peterson can make old men in the NFL proud again this Sunday against the improving but still questionable defense of Atlanta. Let’s not forget about quarterback Alex Smith. The veteran dink and dunker only had 178 passing yards and a touchdown in the Giants game. While he doesn’t have a big arm like his predecessor in Kirk Cousins, he’s doing just enough with the limited weapons he has. It’s the defense that’ll be key for the Redskins against Atlanta, though. The Redskins’ stout stop unit is fifth in the league in scoring defense (19.1 points allowed per game) and fourth in total defense (322.4 yards).
Washington is 6-1 ATS in its last seven home games dating back to 2017.
