Philadelphia Eagles vs. Atlanta Falcons Pick ATS

Philadelphia Eagles (1-0 SU, 1-0 ATS) vs. Atlanta Falcons (0-1 SU, 0-1 ATS)
NFL Football Week 2
Date/Time: Sunday – September 15th – 8:20pm
Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium – Atlanta, Georgia
TV: NBC

Point Spread: PHI -1 / ATL +1 (MyBookie)
Over/Under Total: 51

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES AND ATLANTA FALCONS MATCH-UP:

This Sunday night, the Prime Time NBC game will be the Philadelphia Eagles and the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The Eagles enter week two at 1-0 after their win over the Washington Redskins which ended with a score of 32-27. The Falcons, on the other hand, come in with more questions than answers after they were humiliated in Minnesota by a score of 28-12 to the Vikings…and trust me when I say this, that game was much much worse than the final score indicated, The Falcons looked bad, really damn bad.

Coming into 2019, both of these teams had postseason goals and aspirations, and of course, they still do. The Eagles are just two seasons removed from their Super Bowl title, and on paper, the Atlanta Falcons are one of the most talented teams not only in the NFC but the entire NFL. The Eagles and Falcons have been familiar foes over the last few seasons. Back in the NFC Divisional Round of the Playoffs in 2018, the Eagles beat the Falcons 15-10 in a game where Atlanta had the ball in the red zone looking to win and advance to the NFC Title…they fell short. Last season, the opening match was Atlanta traveling to Philly for a rematch, and in this case, the final score was 18-12 with the Falcons AGAIN falling short on their final drive. Based on the spread, the bookmakers again see this game coming down to the end regardless of what took place in week one. The Eagles are currently a one-point favorite in Atlanta, but I can see the line moving more in favor of Philadelphia if the betting trend keeps up the way it has started this week.

More Picks: Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers Week 2 Pick >>>

HOW THE PUBLIC IS BETTING THE EAGLES AND FALCONS:

As of Tuesday around noon, the public was loving the Eagles in this one. 65% of the betting action was on the Eagles to cover and win the game in Atlanta while just 35% took the home team Falcons. In week one, the Eagles covered against the Redskins while Atlanta did not come close to covering as the road dog in Minnesota. As for the total points in this game, it’s set at 51, and the public is a little more torn with 54% liking the over and 46% on the under.

WHY THE FALCONS WILL NOT COVER…OR WIN:

I am a born and raised Atlanta sports “home.” I love the Braves, Falcons, Hawks, and Georgia football. The Falcons are MY TEAM. Not only does that make me want so badly to believe they can live up to the hype, but it also makes me frustrated and want to give up and have no faith in them whatsoever…especially after what I witnessed on Sunday. For the last season or so, many Atlanta fans talked about head coach Dan Quinn being on the “Hot Seat.” I thought this was ridiculous seeing as how he took us to a Super Bowl in 2016 and the next year lost by one score in the playoffs to the eventual Super Bowl Champs (these very Eagles). After witnessing a team in week one that was absolutely unprepared and outplayed, I can see myself joining the “Fire Dan Quinn” bandwagon if I see another game or two like that. For the last two seasons, the Falcons glaring problem was the offensive line. Supposedly in the offseason, the line was upgraded. Well, first play of the season, Matt Ryan was sacked for an eight-yard loss, and it got no better from there. Not only did the offensive line look lost, but the defense and special teams also made their share of mistakes too. As a team, the Atlanta Falcons looked awful.

So why do I think the Falcons have no shot of winning? Well, they are not a good team right now…they just aren’t. Are they talented? Yes. But something just has seemed off with this team dating back to 2017. Last year, the excuse and to be honest, legitimate reason for the bad season was the number of injuries the Falcons suffered, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Us as a fan base gave them the benefit of the doubt. This offseason, the key to winning was the revamp the offensive line, extend Julio Jones, and get healthy…we did all three!!! So why the absolute s**t fest in week one? Now, coming into week two, the Falcons are down a rookie offensive lineman. First-round pick, Chris Lindstrom, has a broken foot and will be out AT LEAST 10 weeks. This loss is a huge blow to an o-line that already sucked. Here is this deal. Can the Falcons beat Philly? Absolutely, but they wont…they just won’t. And coaching and preparation will be to blame.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN SUNDAY NIGHT?

This Sunday night, the Falcons and Eagles will play yet another tight game. I can see the final score of this one staying in the upper teens or lower 20s. I can see a 17-14 type game entering the fourth quarter, but then it will come down to a big play. Atlanta has not shown me the ability to make a big play in almost two years while the Eagles are very excited to have DeSean Jackson back on the team. I can see mismatches for the Falcons CBs that will lead to the Eagles making the necessary plays to win. The Eagles will take down Atlanta by a score of 24-20 in Mercedes-Benz Stadium Sunday night.

Bob’s Pick to Cover the Point Spread: TAKE THE PHILADELPHIA EAGLES MINUS THE POINT OVER THE ATLANTA FALCONS