Atlanta Falcons vs New England Patriots NFL Odds, NFL Predictions & NFL Picks: The Atlanta Falcons are in Foxborough, Massachusetts today to face the New England Patriots in what should be one of the more intriguing NFL week 3 battles. Atlanta comes in undefeated and ready to assert itself as one of the best teams in either conference while the 1-1 Patriots are reeling from a road loss to the Jets. The two squads will kick things off at 1:00pm ET at Gillette Stadium; the game will be broadcast live on FOX. NFL Odds at BetUS.com have the Patriots listed as a -4.5 against the spread favorite.
Falcons Breakdown: Atlanta enters today's game with a 2-0 record, but they have yet to earn a win outside the state of Georgia. They defeated the Dolphins soundly in week one and followed that up with a 28-20 victory over division rival Carolina last week. The Panthers rebounded from a horrific week one loss to Philly and actually had the statistical edge on the Falcons as they put up more yards, first downs, and third down conversions. However, Mike Smith's defense only allowed them in the red zone three times and they kept them off the scoreboard in one of those occasions.
Offensively, Matt Ryan continued to use his new weapon, tight end Tony Gonzalez. The future Hall of Famer caught seven passes for 71 yards and a touchdown. Ryan had a banner day as well, completing 21-of-27 passes for 220 yards, three touchdowns, and a pick. Michael Turner brought the ground game up to speed, leading the team with 28 carries for 105 yards and a score.
Patriots Breakdown: New England can be thankful that they are not 0-2 as they barely got past the Bills in week one. With last Sunday's 9-16 loss to the Jets, Bill Belichick's team could easily be down two and, even worse, down two to AFC East rivals. The Pats had one of their more uninspiring offensive efforts in recent memory as they cranked out a meager 299 yards and converted exactly zero of their three red zone opportunities in last Sunday's loss.
The Jets did not sack Tom Brady, but they did hit him seven times, and the results of that pressure were obvious in quarterback's numbers. Brady completed just 23-of-47 passes for 216 yards and an interception, all of which produced an un-Brady like passer rating of 53.1.
New England's defense played well in the loss, holding New York to just 14 first downs, three third down conversions, and a grand total of 254 yards.
NFL Odds Betting Trend: Over the last five years New England is 5-1 against the spread and 6-0 straight up when playing as a home favorite coming off a road loss. Conversely, the Falcons are 1-5 straight up and against the spread over the last five years when playing as a road dog off back to back straight up wins.
BetUS.com Atlanta Falcons vs New England Patriots NFL Odds, Predictions & Picks:
Atlanta Falcons +4.5 (-110), Over 46.5 (-110), +190 (Moneyline)
New England Patriots -4.5 (-110), Under 46.5 (-110), -230 (Moneyline)
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