Atlanta is again a home favorite at -2.5 against the Patriots, who were not so lucky on the injury front despite pulling off a 27-24 victory against the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints. New England lost starting DE Ty Warren for the season with a hip injury along with veteran WR Torry Holt (knee), who was trying to make a comeback with the team after a disappointing stint in Jacksonville. The Pats were also able to beat the Saints without All-Pro WR Wes Welker, who has made a remarkable comeback from knee surgery but was held out. Preseason football betting lines tend to move fast so be sure to check out our live NFL odds feed offering up to date point spreads from the top offshore sportsbooks.
With Warren out, New England will turn to another Warren – Gerald – to help fill the void on the defensive line. Gerald Warren has been a bit of a disappointment since being taken with the third overall pick in the 2001 NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns, but he has always been a starter and will get that opportunity again. The Patriots also activated DE Derrick Burgess after putting Ty Warren on injured reserve to add some more depth to the line.
New England head coach Bill Belichick was still pleased with his team’s performance against New Orleans though and thought practicing and playing against the Saints last week can only help his players get ready for what promises to be another grueling regular season. Second-year WR Julian Edelman did another fantastic job in place of Welker, hauling in six passes for 90 yards. Starting QB Tom Brady also looked sharp, completing 5-of-8 passes for 67 yards, including a pair for 30 yards to top target Randy Moss. Welker did travel with the team this week, but it is still unknown as to whether or not he will play.
The Falcons did not look nearly as good as the Pats offensively against the Chiefs, although they did not need to do much to earn the victory. Atlanta starting QB Matt Ryan played two series and was 3-of-6 for 34 yards with leading receiver Roddy White making one catch for 22 yards. Reserve quarterbacks Chris Redman and John Parker Wilson did not fare much better than Ryan, combining for 110 yards on 11-of-23 passing. Keep in mind, the Falcons are playing without starting WR Mcihael Jenkins for at least the rest of the preseason due to a shoulder injury.
The best news for Atlanta was that starting RB Michael Turner showed no lingering effects of the high ankle sprain that bothered him last year, carrying the ball four times for 29 yards, including a 10-yard burst. Reserve RB Dimitri Nance scored both touchdowns for the Falcons on two of his seven carries that netted a total of 10 yards.
For our opinion on this game from a betting perspective grab our daily NFL pick package offering winning predictions against the point spread.
