It took a while for the Philadelphia Eagles to unveil their new-look explosive offense. When the group showed up it was lights out for the Redskins. The Atlanta Falcons are expected to be right there with Philly and a few other clubs contending for supremacy in the NFC, but they better right the ship after a lackluster performance in a season-opening loss to Minnesota. After opening as a pick em, current NFL odds have the Eagles as a 1.5-point road favorite. This Week 2 Sunday Night Football matchup will take place on September 15, at 8:20 p.m. ET from Mercedes-Benz Stadium and it will air on NBC.
NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Philadelphia Eagles -1.5
Atlanta Falcons +1.5
Over/Under 51
Philadelphia at Atlanta Odds Analysis
This early season NFC tilt hit the board as a tossup at BookMaker.eu but was quickly wagered in favor of the Eagles. Atlanta’s weak effort against the Vikings had plenty to do with that. Philly was scooped up early by 90 percent of the public money, tilting the line to -1.5. We have seen things even out since that early flurry of activity with about 60 percent of the public currently backing the visitors. The total went up at 51 and hasn’t budged. As prolific as they’ve been offensively, the teams have combined to average just 36 points in the last four meetings with all playing the total.
Philadelphia Odds
After falling behind 17-0 to the Skins last week, the Eagles erupted scoring all their points over the final three quarters in their 32-27 win. Philly addressed the issue of starting faster after finishing 31st in first-quarter scoring last season. Whatever they worked on didn’t pan out. I guess it doesn’t matter as long as you can score 32 per game. The Eagles were -10.5 on the closing line and had the cover until Washington snuck in the back door with a touchdown in the waning seconds. The Eagles ended 2018 winning two in a row straight up and ATS as a road favorite, and they’ve cashed the over in five of their last six such games.
Atlanta Odds
The Falcons have too much talent to be as bad as what they showed in Week 1. Matt Ryan threw for 304 yards, but he was sacked four times and tossed a pair of interceptions. The yard total also tends to rise when teams are playing catch up, like the Falcons were after giving up a touchdown on Minnesota’s first drive. Atlanta was a NFL-worst 5-11 ATS last season and that continued as they failed to cover as a 3.5-point road dog. Maybe playing at home can revive the Falcons, but they have a tough foe to overcome.
Key Stats
The once vaunted Falcons offense has gone the way of the Dodo bird. When they reached the Super Bowl a few years back they led the league in scoring and were second in yards. That was just three seasons ago and a number of players are on the club today. Bringing Dirk Koetter back as offensive coordinator was supposed to ignite the passing game, and he may just do that. The performance in Week 1 suggests it might take some time. Ryan threw for over 300 yards and the Falcons amassed 345 total, however much of that came in catch-up mode. Atlanta was held scoreless until nearly six minutes had elapsed in the fourth quarter. The O line suffered a blow when Chris Lindstrom was put on IR, leaving a shaky group without one of its anchors.
Last Meeting
The teams have met in each of the last four seasons with the Eagles winning the last three, all of which were home games. They opened the 2018 campaign with Philly winning a less than inspiring contest, 18-12, by stopping the combination of Ryan to Julio Jones in the end zone again. The Eagles did the same thing the season before in a divisional round playoff game on their way to a Super Bowl title. Philly’s defense was tight holding Atlanta to less than 300 yards and denying the Falcons a touchdown on four of five trips to the redzone. They also sacked Ryan four times and got a pick from Rasul Douglas. That game closed as a pick em and fell below the total of 44.5.
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