NFL Betting Online: The Atlanta Falcons proved that old adage painfully true last season: it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. A disastrous November where the team didn’t win a single game led to a disappointing ending to the year, extinguishing all hopes of a playoff appearance despite a 5-0 start. This year, the team will try for a much stronger finish as Atlanta looks to turn things around in 2016. The Falcons have a +195 chance at making this year’s playoffs and -250 odds to miss the playoffs in NFL gambling.
In his first year as head coach in Atlanta, Dan Quinn managed pure mediocrity, finishing 8-8 on the season. Eight wins isn’t too bad when you consider the team won just 10 games total in the two previous seasons combined, but there is still a lot of room for improvement and the second-year coach will try and continue his forward progress in 2016.
The Falcons’ early win streak included road wins over the Giants and the Cowboys and victories over Philadelphia, Houston and Washington. But the second half got ugly as Atlanta managed just three more wins in the next 11 games. One of those final three wins was particularly impressive as the Falcons were the only team to beat Carolina, the Super Bowl runner up, last season, but it just wasn’t enough. The defense struggled and so did Matt Ryan. The team missed the playoffs for the third year in a row.
For the Falcons to have a chance at the postseason this year, Ryan will need to be better and the defense needs to improve as well. It’s no coincidence that as Ryan has taken a step back the past three seasons, so has the team. The 31-year-old is still quite capable of being a very good quarterback, but the problem is that Atlanta needs great. Last year, he threw for 4,591 yards with only 21 touchdowns and 16 costly interceptions. Those 21 touchdowns were on 614 attempts. That’s not going to cut it, especially when you consider Ryan has the luxury of having one of the best receivers in the game in Julio Jones as his top target. Jones had 136 receptions for 1,871 yards and eight touchdowns last year. He’s a game-changer but he was the only consistent target in 2015, so the Falcons added Mohamed Sanu in free agency. Ryan also needs better protection this season and the signing of star center Alex Mack this offseason should help there.
While the offense certainly has some improving to do, the defense has further to go. Besides cornerback Desmond Trufant, there aren’t many stars on the Falcons defense, and plenty of holes exist at each level. Vic Beasley will move from defensive end to strong-side linebacker presumably to help the quarterback rush which was poor last year. Beasley has yet to prove himself as an elite rusher, but last season was filled with injuries which most likely impacted his performance. The potential is there from the 2015 first-rounder and the Falcons desperately need him to rise to the occasion. The Falcons have some good pieces but need it to all come together to have a shot to make the postseason in NFL gambling.
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker sportsbook. You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform for the playoff chances for the playoff chances for the Atlanta Falcons, who will need to improve on both sides of the ball to have a chance at the playoffs in 2016, behind Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, Vic Beasley and Alex Mack. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today!
