Arizona Cardinals at Atlanta Falcons Line

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This Sunday the Atlanta Falcons will look to rebound from their first loss of the season when they host the struggling Arizona Cardinals. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 EST at the Georgia Dome and will be televised locally on FOX. Oddsmakers have listed the Falcons as a 9.5-point home favorite with the total set at 44 points.

Why Arizona Will Cover:

The Cardinals return from their bye week hoping to play more like the team that started the season 4-0 and put an end to their current five-game losing streak. As bad as Arizona has played of late, this might just be a good spot to jump on the Cardinals to cover the number. Arizona has failed to cover the spread in six straight games and you have to believe they are undervalued in this game, especially considering they have had two weeks to prepare for the Falcons.

This is going to be a very difficult game for Atlanta to get motivated for after investing everything they had in beating the Saints. On top of that they have two more huge division games at Tampa Bay and at home against New Orleans in two weeks following this game.

While the Falcons are a perfect 4-0 at home this season, they have had a difficult time putting teams away in the Georgia Dome. All four of those wins have come by six points or less and that includes a couple of games against Carolina and Oakland that they could have very easily lost outright.

This Arizona team has already shown the ability to pull off a major upset on the road. Back in week 2 they went into New England and beat the Patriots 20-18 as a 13-point underdog. The Cardinals seem to play their best against the better teams in this league. Arizona is an impressive 25-9 over their last 34 games against a top-level team (winning percentage greater than 75%).

Why Atlanta Will Cover:

While the Falcons are certainly feeling the pain of last week’s lost against the Saints, you have to believe this team understands the importance of this game. The Falcons are in a prime spot to earn one of the top two seeds in the NFC. I personally think Atlanta was a little too over-confident in that game against New Orleans and the loss should humble this team and have them focused for the remainder of the season.

The big question in this game is whether or not the Cardinals are capable of turning their season around. Arizona has one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL. They have allowed a league-high 41 sacks. That kind of pressure makes it nearly impossible to get anything going offensively. On top of that the Cardinals don’t have a running game to lean on anymore, as their top two backs are both currently on the IR.

Arizona hasn’t scored more than 17 points in a single game during their five game losing streak. Seeing how the Falcons come in averaging just over 27 points per game, you can see why the line has been posted so high.

While the scenario hasn’t presented itself this season prior to this game, it’s worth noting that the Falcons are 21-6 over their last 27 games following a loss. They are also an impressive 12-4 ATS over their last 16 games vs a team with a losing record.

About the Author: Steve will be the first to tell you that College Football is his passion, but he enthusiastically follows the NFL, NBA, College Hoops, and Major League Baseball. Get started today with a premium package from Steve Janus!
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