Philadelphia Eagles at Atlanta Falcons
Sunday, 9/18/11, 8:20 PM EST, TV: NBC
Opening Point Spread: Philadelphia -2.5
Current Betting Line: Philadelphia -3
Opening Total: 50.5
Current Total: 49
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
Philadelphia quarterback Michael Vick returns to the Georgia Dome and a raucous crowd will be ready to welcome him. “I just remember being in the Dome with the crowd cheering my name, which was special to me and all my teammates,” commented Vick about the previous experience of playing in front of the fans that will likely boo him Sunday night. He led the team to a 31-13 win over the St. Louis Rams as 3.5-point road favorites last week, completing just 14 passes, but connecting on 7 of 8 on third down. The Eagles lead the all-time series, 15-10-1, including winning the last four and eight of the last nine. Philadelphia is 18-17 ATS over the past two-plus seasons.
The Eagles gained over 200 yards on the ground in the season opener, including 219 between Vick and starting running back LeSean McCoy. Philadelphia still managed to throw for 187 yards, with star wide receiver finishing with 102 yards and a touchdown. On the defensive end, the unit will be solely focused on stopping Atlanta running back Michael Turner, who can punish them with his 250-pound frame. The team lucked out last week when Rams runner Steven Jackson got injured early.
Atlanta is obviously more concerned about bouncing back from a 30-12 loss to Chicago as one-point road favorites last week than worrying about the return of Michael Vick. After all, Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan has been one of the best at protecting the team’s home-field advantage over the past couple years. He will be handing the ball off to Turner a lot, as he never got going against the Bears, but still carried the ball 10 times for 100 yards. Atlanta is 11-6 ATS at home and will be playing their first game as a home underdog of three points or less in the last two-plus campaigns.
The Falcons defense was atrocious in tackling the Bears Sunday, allowing 53 and 56-yard screen passes. Atlanta allowed Chicago signal-caller Jay Cutler to have a field day, throwing for 312 yards and two touchdowns. It was a discouraging effort due to all the offseason time spent on fixing a secondary that was torched by Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the playoffs. The contest will also feature a Pro Bowl matchup on the outside with Atlanta wide receiver Roddy White going against Philadelphia cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha. That will put a lot of pressure on rookie wideout Julio Jones on the other side.
Bettors will likely back the Eagles due to their 7-3 ATS mark as a road favorite, while the Falcons are 10-1 ATS after scoring less than 15 points in their previous game.
Don’t miss out on a winning season and let the NFL handicappers at Maddux Sports line your pockets with cash. Long term packages are available now!
