NFL Football Betting: Philadelphia Eagles at Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons are desperate to avoid an 0-2 start. Atlanta was blasted on the road by Minnesota in Week 1, falling being 28-0 before scoring 12 points in the fourth quarter against the Vikings to make the final score more respectable. That poor performance has led to the Philadelphia Eagles being favored over Atlanta per the NFL betting odds despite being the road team in this game.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES AT ATLANTA FALCONS
LINE: EAGLES -2
TOTAL: 52.5

After being a popular team for NFL Futures betting, people are already jumping off the Falcons’ bandwagon. Atlanta opened as a 1.5-point favorite over Philadelphia on Sunday Night football, but the odds quickly flipped. It didn’t take long for the Eagles to become the betting favorite, and they are unlikely to relinquish that position.

The total has gone up 1.5 points from where it opened on Sunday night, and the over/under is now the second-highest number on the board in Week 2.

INJURY REPORT

Atlanta made a point to fix its offensive line this offseason, but unfortunately the Falcons are already in trouble along that front. First round pick Chris Lindstrom will be out for the next eight weeks after breaking a bone in his left foot, and that is a massive blow to a unit without depth. Additionally, offensive tackle Matt Gono and guard Wes Schweitzer are questionable, so the Falcons can’t afford any other injuries up front. Running back Kenjon Barner and wide receiver Russell Gage are both questionable.

The Eagles might be thin along the defensive line. Defensive tackle Malik Jackson was placed on IR on Tuesday with a foot injury, and All-Pro DT Fletcher Cox is questionable because of a toe injury. Offensive tackle Jordan Mailata, linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill, and quarterback Nate Sudfeld are all out.

WHEN ATLANTA IS ON OFFENSE

The offensive line was an enormous problem for the Falcons last Sunday. Matt Ryan was constantly feeling pressure from Minnesota’s defensive line, and it forced him into some uncharacteristic mistakes. He was sacked four times and threw two interceptions, so Atlanta might decide to use more pass protect on Sunday to keep Ryan upright. If they don’t do that, taking the over on sacks in Sunday night prop bets is a great choice.

If Ryan can stay upright, he has excellent receiving options. Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley are both great receivers, and they should both be able to get open against Philadelphia’s inexperienced secondary. Jones is the most consistent receiver in the NFL, and Ridley is ready to take off in his second season.

Devonta Freeman averaged just 2.4 yards per carry against Minnesota in the season opener, but he didn’t have many lanes to run through. While Atlanta finished with decent running numbers on the day, most of their nice carries were in garbage time, so they must find a way to run the football more effectively.

Look for Philadelphia to play a lot of nickel defense early. If the Eagles can stop the run in the nickel, it’s going to be hard for the Falcons receivers to get going even though this secondary has some areas that can be exploited.

WHEN PHILADELPHIA IS ON OFFENSE

It took a half for the Eagles offense to get going on Sunday. Philadelphia came out listless on offense against Washington, but then Carson Wentz started throwing darts. He threw two 50-yard touchdown passes to DeSean Jackson and found Alshon Jeffery in the end zone as well to end the day with very good numbers.

Wentz will be the first person to test Atlanta’s defensive backs because Kirk Cousins didn’t need to last week. Cousins threw just 10 passes on the day, but Wentz is likely to go through the air far more often. Jackson and Jeffery are a solid receiving tandem, and Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert constitute the best tight end duo in the league.

Philadelphia had some success running the ball, but the Eagles would love to have more. Darren Sproles and Jordan Howard both broke off some nice gains, while Miles Sanders had one great run and 10 subpar runs.

The interior of Atlanta’s defense was a major problem last year, but the return of a healthy Deion Jones and Keanu Neal was supposed to fix that. It didn’t stop Dalvin Cook from having a nice day on Sunday, but Jones and Neal need to raise their game.

PREDICTION

The health of Cox is key here. I expect a definitive announcement on his status in one direction or another would have an impact on the NFL betting odds given Atlanta’s offensive line situation. If he plays, I like Philadelphia to cover, but I’ll lay off if he doesn’t dress.

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