As far as NFL betting lines are concerned, this is as big as they get early in the season. New England (1-1) is desperate to prove it’s still a force to be reckoned with in the NFL. Atlanta (2-0) wants to silence fans waiting for the other shoe to drop and join the league’s elite.
Atlanta Falcons at New England Patriots
Sunday, September 27 at 1:00 p.m. ET
NFL Week 3 betting odds: Patriots -4
It sounds like the sky is falling in New England, but fans need to settle down and take a deep breath. At 1-1 are the Patriots sunk? Or in danger of missing the playoffs? Of course not. Tom Brady’s slow start is a concern, but not a major one—remember, it’s been 21 months since the star quarterback played meaningful football, and he deserves some time to shake off the rust. Brady’s favorite safety valve, Wes Welker, is nicked up and that won’t help matters. Eventually, though, Brady is going to get things untracked and assume his spot among the NFL’s best quarterbacks.
Defensively it’s been solid if unspectacular for the Patriots, although they haven’t faced an offense as dangerous as Atlanta’s so far this season. Jettisoning so much talent in the offseason hasn’t caught up to New England yet, but Sunday’s game should be a nice barometer of there the team stands.
For Atlanta, sophomore quarterback Matt Ryan has looked sharp. He’s completing 68.3 percent of his passes with five touchdowns and just one interception. Tony Gonzalez has been a great addition at tight end after hauling in 12 passes for 144 yards and two scores in his first two games as a Falcon. With Gonzalez and more maturity from Ryan, this is shaping up to be a very effective offense and a solid play on sports picks this year.
The Falcons defense cooled somewhat after a great opening-week against the Dolphins, in which it created four turnovers and notched four sacks. Last week the Panthers managed 20 points and 440 yards of total offense, although Atlanta’s “D” did force a turnover at the end of the game to put things away.
The Panthers put up 144 rushing yards on 25 carries against Atlanta last week, a strategy the Patriots should mimic. New England has been far too focused on the pass when it should be relieving pressure from Brady by pounding the football; it doesn’t take betting software to figure out head coach Bill Belichick is going to make some adjustments. Expect a heavy dose of the running game while Brady finds his groove. Once he does, the floodgates should open up and New England will win by a touchdown.
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