[8:20 p.m. EST] Under 52.5 – Philadelphia Eagles at Atlanta Falcons
The SpreadKnowledge NFL Free Pick of the Day comes from the total on the Eagles-Falcons game on Sunday night. We’re taking the over, considering both teams have prolific offensive attacks that’ll get us where we need to go — over the total.
Both teams got off to slow starts in Week 1, but only the Eagles were able to catch themselves before falling on their faces. The Eagles overcame a 17-0 deficit and won by the score of 32-27 over the Redskins. Meanwhile, the Falcons fell behind 28-0 to the Vikings, and eventually lost 28-12, with their two touchdowns basically meaning nothing.
Carson Wentz shook off an early slow start to rebound 313 yards and three touchdowns. That shaky open made sense, though, considering he didn’t play any snaps during the preseason. Once things got going, Wentz was able to connect with WR DeSean Jackson for eight catches, 154 yards and two touchdowns.
The Eagles had a very balanced running attack with the three RBs each toting the rock. Miles Sanders led the way with 11 carries but only notched 25 yards in the process; Darren Sproles (nine carries for 47 yards) and Jordan Howard (six carries for 44 yards) were far more successful on the ground. Running backs typically give the Falcons a ton of issues, so having this talented trio of backs certainly bodes well for them moving the chains.
In reality, both the passing and running games can do a lot here, so that balanced-offense should give over-bettors plenty of optimism in this matchup.
It took Matt Ryan and the Falcons’ offense a while to finally get some points on the board, but they did eventually in the fourth quarter. With Case Keenum posting 380 passing yards and three touchdowns, expect Atlanta’s offense to have that same type of success. Especially with more dangerous receiving options like Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley, this should be a great spectacle of moving the ball through the air. Not to mention, Matty Ice has been much better historically at home in Atlanta.
In terms of running the ball, that’s probably not to be an effective way to move up and down the field. Last week, despite leading for more than half the game, the Redskins had 13 carries for 28 yards. Against the Vikings, the Falcons’ running backs didn’t have much success either, toting the rock for 49 yards on 15 carries.
Given how both teams will be moving the ball through the air, it’s only right to take the over in this one. We should have a lot more faith in Matty Ice when he’s playing at home, and that’ll have Wentz leading the Eagles down the field to match him. This should be a fun game to wrap up Sunday’s slate, and the whole country will be able to see it.
* Final Score Prediction * Philadelphia Eagles: 30 – Atlanta Falcons: 27
By: Al Walsh – Follow him on Twitter @14AdotWalsh
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