Atlanta Falcons v. Chicago Bears Line
The Atlanta Falcons and Chicago Bears kick off their seasons Sunday at Soldier Field.
The Falcons, who won the NFC East last year, and the Bears, who won the NFC North, were the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds respectively in last season’s NFC Playoffs. Both teams had Super Bowl aspirations but both were defeated by eventual Super Bowl champion Green Bay.
NFL odds makers have given the Falcons the edge Sunday, listing them as a three-point favorite. The total is currently set at 40.5.
The Falcons have won the last two meetings in this series, but the Bears have won five of the last eight and are 3-0 at home during this span.
Atlanta most recently defeated the Bears 21-14 at home as a four-point favorite in 2009. In 2008, the Falcons upset the Bears 22-20 as a three-point home dog.
Led by one of the best defenses in the NFL, Chicago advanced all the way to the NFC title game last season. The Bears ranked ninth in the league in total defense with 314.3 yards allowed per game. They ranked fourth in scoring defense with 17.9 points allowed per contest.
Chicago’s stop unit was stout against the run, ranking second in the NFL with 90.1 yards allowed per game, but it was susceptible to the pass. It ranked 20th with 224.2 yards allowed per game through the air. This means Matt Ryan could be poised for a big game.
The Atlanta signal caller completed 62.5 percent of his passes in 2010 for 3,705 yards with 28 touchdowns and nine interceptions. While his touchdown-to-interception ratio was fantastic last year, he’ll have to be careful against an opportunistic Bears defense that tied for fifth in the league last season with 21 interceptions.
He’ll especially have to be on the lookout for underrated cornerback Charles Tillman, who led the Bears with five interceptions a year ago.
Chicago is confident it can make a push for the Super Bowl if it can show improvement offensively. The Bears were among the worst offensive teams in the NFL last season, ranking 30th in total offense with 289.4 yards per game and 21st in scoring with 20.9 points per contest.
Jay Cutler took a step in the right direction in 2010, completing over 60 percent of his passes for 3,274 yards with 23 touchdowns and 16 interceptions, but the Bears only ranked 28th in the league through the air with 188.4 yards per game.
Like Chicago, the Atlanta stop unit was pretty stout against the run in 2010 (ranked 10th in the NFL), but it was exploited through the air, ranking 22nd in the league with 226.6 yards allowed per contest. Chicago’s chances could rest on the right arm of Cutler in this one.
It probably isn’t wise to make a habit of playing a lot or road chalk, but it is certainly worth noting that the Falcons are 5-0 against the spread in their last five games as a road favorite.
It’s also worth noting that the under is a perfect 6-0 in the last six meetings between these teams.
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