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Miami Dolphins at Atlanta Falcons NFL Odds & Picks

Written by Jimmy Boyd

miami atl 9909 The Miami Dolphins and Atlanta Falcons both made surprising runs to the playoffs last season and both teams look to build on their promising campaigns when they meet this Sunday in the Georgia Dome. These two teams have not met since the 2005 season when Atlanta went on the road and came away with a 17-10 victory. While the teams have split each of the last six meetings, the Dolphins, who finished the preseason undefeated, hold a decisive 7-3 edge in the series. Despite what history has to say, NFL odds makers have listed the Atlanta Falcons as 4-point favorites with the total set at 43.5.

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Matt Ryan burst onto the season as a rookie and quickly became a household name, making Falcons fans forget about former franchise quarterback Michael Vick. You here a lot about sophomore slumps and I’ll be very interested to see if Ryan has what it takes to avoid one. In last season’s opener, he wasted no time showing off his arm as he completed a 62-yard touchdown strike to Michael Jenkings on his very first pass. As you well know, Ryan went on to take home Rookie of the Year honors. While teams have now had a chance to watch a season’s worth of film on the young signal caller, a sophomore slump is not likely because of all the talent Atlanta has surrounded him with. Because the Falcons have a strong running game, led by Michael Turner, Ryan has the luxury of not having to put the entire team on his back. In fact, Turner’s 17 touchdowns were good for second in the league. If you think Atlanta’s talented offense will be too much for Miami at home this week, bet the Falcons at -4 at Bookmaker.

The Miami Dolphins just pulled off the greatest turnaround in NFL history, winning 10 more games than they did in 2007 when they only managed one win. As I already mentioned, the Dolphins finished the preseason an unbeaten 4-0 and perhaps it is worth noting that all four AFC tams which finished first in their respective division during the 2008 preseason went on to win their divisions in the regular season. The Dolphins put the Wildcat formation back on the map in 2008 with running back Ronnie Brown running the show. So it will be interesting to see how prepared the Falcons will be to face it. Miami was intrigued by the throwback offense enough that it drafted West Virginia dual-threat quarterback Pat White to be a true Wildcat back.

Miami may be best suited to try an air attack against the Falcons this week, though. Atlanta’s secondary features three starters with three years of experience or less. With as accurate of a passer as Chad Pennington is, the Dolphins could have a big day through the air. If you like Miami to pick up right where it left off in the preseason, bet the Dolphins at +4 at Bookmaker.

Make sure you check out Jimmy Boyd’s Week 1 NFL expert picks to see who he’s playing before locking in your wagers.

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