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Atlanta Falcons at New England Patriots NFL Betting Odds & Picks

Written by Jimmy Boyd

falcons pats 92209 The Atlanta Falcons head north to Foxborough, Massachusetts to take on the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium this Sunday in a non-conference Week 3 showdown. Atlanta improved to 2-0 on the season with a 28-20 win over division rival Carolina last week while the Patriots fell to 1-1, losing to the New York Jets for the first time on the road since 2000. New England has won two straight over Atlanta to take a 6-5 lead in the all-time series. NFL odds makers like New England to bounce back this week, listing the Patriots as a 4-point favorite with the total set at 44.

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New England has won 15 straight regular season games against NFC opponents, but if that streak is to continue this week, Tom Brady and the offense are going to have to get on track. Through the first two weeks, the Patriots have not even come close to resembling the 2007 team that was such an offensive juggernaut. New England has thrown the football 70 percent of the time thus far, but perhaps a more balanced attack would serve them better this week. The Falcons are allowing a whopping 5.1 yards per rush this season, and stopping the run doesn’t figure to get any easier with defensive tackle Peria Jerry lost for the season with a knee injury. Don’t be surprised if the Patriots try to exploit Atlanta’s defensive weakness with a more run-oriented approach this week. Plus, both Buffalo and New York have gone after Tom Brady full boar to test his nerve following last year’s knee injury and the pressure has been paying off. Brady was not sacked last week, but he was just 23 of 47 through the air while facing relentless pressure. If team wants to keep bringing heat off the edge, the Pats will have to look to hurt them up the middle with the run to set up easy play action opportunities for Brady and his talented crop of wideouts. One guy the Patriots will have to make sure they account for is John Abraham. He is without question of the best in the league at getting to the passer and the Patriots are very familiar with that having seen him plenty when he was with the Jets. Abraham has five career sacks against Brady in seven games.

While I thought the Patriots played much better defensively last week, the unit must continue to improve and it must start to make some big game-changing plays. The Patriots are just one of six teams in the league that has yet to come up with an interception. It is worth noting that the Patriots are 19-7-1 against the spread in their last 27 games following a straight up loss. If you like New England to bounce back strong this week, bet the Patriots at -4 at BetUS.

Atlanta is proving that it was no one-hit wonder last season. It made a big statement last week by defeating the defending NFC South champs. While the Falcons still have some defensive issues to solve in defending the run, the offense looks to be one of the most dangerous units in the NFL. They already had one of the game’s best young QB’s in Matt Ryan, one of the game’s best young running backs in Michael Turner, and one of the game’s best young receivers in Roddy White. Now, the Falcons have added future Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez to the mix and he is not disappointing. He and Ryan have quickly developed chemistry in the passing game. Gonzalez led the Falcons in receiving last week with seven catches for 71 yards and a touchdown. The New England defense has been hurt by the tight end position in each of its first two games, allowing a tight end to score a touchdown against them in both Week 1 and Week 2. Now they face one of the best tight ends in the NFL. I’ll be keeping an eye on how the Patriots intend on defending Gonzalez. If they don’t pay extra attention to him, he is liable to have a huge day. It is worth noting that the Falcons are 11-4 against the number in their last 15 games as a road underdog of 3.5-10.0 points. If you like Atlanta on the road, bet the Falcons at +4 at BetUS.

Jimmy Boyd’s NFL expert picks are ready to take the books to school in Week 3 action. Don’t miss a single play!

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