There's a point that bettors start to get comfortable with a team. Few believed that the Atlanta Falcons were more than an average team coming into this season, but three games in, especially after the way they came back against the Cowboys last week on the road, many believe this might be one of the best teams in the NFL. That said, the Houston Texans are going to try to take the Dirty Birds down a notch on Sunday, and they very well could have the perfect game plan with which to do it.
WHEN THE ATLANTA FALCONS HAVE THE BALL
Does anyone know if Roddy White is still actually a member of the Falcons? In spite of the fact that he is still on the field for a large percentage of plays, Matt Ryan hasn't thrown a ball his way, let alone connected on a pass with him since Week 1, which really does make this a one-man offense in the passing game. With apologies to Leonard Hankerson, he isn't scaring us any.
Houston knows it can roll all of its coverage over to Julio Jones, and if someone can figure out how to slow him down at the line of scrimmage, J.J. Watt and the gang can be on Matt Ryan's back.
Matty Ice hasn't been tested by a big defensive front yet this year, but he's going to get all he can handle in this game. With rookie Tevin Coleman likely out again on Sunday, there is going to be a lot of pressure on Devonta Freeman to replicate last week's awesome game he had in Dallas. Our question though, isn't whether he can catch the ball or run the ball. It's whether he can pick up a blitz.
If Freeman can't and the tight ends aren't sticking around to block, Houston's defense is going to have this offense for lunch, and that could give live bettors a real opportunity to capitalize on the underdogs.
WHEN THE HOUSTON TEXANS HAVE THE BALL
Joseph Randle ripped this Atlanta defense to shreds last week, and Arian Foster could do the same this week. Foster may or may not be ready to return from a groin injury, but even if he doesn't, Alfred Blue just toted the rock 31 times for 139 yards against the Bucs.
That game against Tampa Bay was the first one that really played out the way Houston fans would want. It was the first time the team didn't dig itself a big hole to get out of relatively early on, and as a result, it's the first time the ground game has had a chance to play any role in the third and fourth quarters.
The Falcons aren't going to win this game going away in all likelihood, and live bettors need to be prepared for a lot of long, arduous Houston drives. Remember that there were seven Houston drives which took up at least seven plays against Tampa Bay, and though this team loves to get to the line of scrimmage and snap the ball in a hurry, the clock continues to run a ton because of all of the rushing plays. Live bettors should be prepared for at least one drive in this one in which the Texans run a dozen plays and half of a quarter off of the clock.
TREND TO TRACK
The total in this game has come up from 45 to 47 in just about 24 hours, which is quite interesting to us with the way these two teams figure to be playing against each other. Even though there is a lot of confidence in the Atlanta offense, the Houston defense has been surprisingly stout for much of this season, and all three of its games probably should have been under affairs and definitely became under games for live bettors who took advantage of early numbers after scoring plays.
The NFL betting lines and props for this Sunday game were first available at BookMaker Sportsbook. The Atlanta Falcons were lined at -6 alongside a total of 45. Live wagering during commercials offers adjusted moneylines, totals and spreads. Log in and start gambling during the game now!
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The duel between the Atlanta Falcons and Houston Texans will go down Sunday, October 4, 2015 at 1:00 p.m. ET at the Georgia Dome. The game will be televised live on CBS.
