The Atlanta Falcons open their 2019 NFL season by taking on the Minnesota Vikings on 9/8/19 at the U.S. Bank Stadium in Minnesota.
Atlanta Falcons
The 2018 seasons didn’t go right for the Atlanta Falcons. Two years removed from an appearance at Super Bowl LI, the Falcons were 7-9 in 2018-19. Injuries hounded the team on both ends of the field. From tailback Devonta Freeman, linebacker Deion Jones to safety Keanu Neal, Atlanta just couldn’t get healthy and couldn’t get enough wins. Without Jones and Neal, their defense crumbled. With them back, things should be much better on that end. On offense, Freeman will have more pressure as Tevin Coleman has moved to San Francisco. Then there’s also a coaching change with both coordinators fired after the season. Head coach Dan Quinn will call the shots for the defense while Dirk Koetter was brought in to make the offense right.
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings finished 8-8 last season and that wasn’t enough to put them through the playoffs. QB Kirk Cousins signed a massive deal during the offseason but the offense run by offensive coordinator John DeFilippo didn’t work out. So Minnesota worked on that area this summer, hiring a championship coach who knows how to win with a pocket passing quarterback in Super Bowl 50 winner Gary Kubiak. Center Garrett Bradbury was drafted to make sure Cousins gets more protection in the pocket when needed. RB Dalvin Cook is healthy again and he is one of the most explosive offensive weapons in the league when he is 100%. These changes should help improve an offense that ranked just 20th in total yards. On the other side of the field, their Top 5 defense has kept its core for the upcoming season.
Who Wins?
Atlanta is 5-5 SU in their last 10 games played The Falcons are 3-3 SU in their last six games played on the road. Minnesota is also 5-5 SU in their last 10 games played. The Vikings are 3-2 SU in their last five games played at home. Head to head, the Vikings are 6-4 SU in their last 10 games against the Falcons. Minnesota is 11-3 SU in their last 14 home games against Atlanta. The Vikings are also 9-2 SU in their last 11 games against the NFC South division.
Minnesota entered the last preseason as one of the NFL betting favorites to win the Super Bowl. Well, they were one of the bigger disappointments of the 2018-19 season and even missed the playoffs. However, after making the necessary changes, they enter this game as the betting favorites against the Falcons.
Kirk Cousins will have a lot to prove especially after a below-average season for him last year. He will have a good opportunity to do that against an Atlanta Falcons defense that gave up points in bunches last season. Likewise, Cousins will have on his side the benefit of a defense that will return its key players for the previous season. Minnesota should have enough on defense to put the pressure on Matt Ryan and force the Falcons to run the ball. I’m picking the Minnesota Vikings to beat the Atlanta Falcons on 9/8/19.
Other Bets To Make
The Falcons are 3-7 ATS in their last ten games played. Atlanta is 2-4 ATS in their last six games played on the road. The Vikings are 5-5 ATS in their last 10 games played. Minnesota is 3-2 ATS in their last five games played at home. Head to head, the Vikings are 5-4-1 ATS in their last 10 games against the Falcons.
Falcons
+4 (-110)
Vikings
-4 (-110)
Odds were taken from Titanbet.com as of 7/18/19
The Falcons are 2-4 ATS in their last six games against opponents from the NFC. The Vikings are 8-3-1 ATS in their last 12 games played in Septembers. Minnesota is also 4-1 ATS in their last five Week 1 games. Minnesota has outscored Atlanta by 9.33 points per games in their last three head to head meetings The Vikings have beaten the Falcons by an average winning margin of 10.83 points per games in their last six wins. With Minnesota forcing Atlanta to run, I think the Vikings are going to win by at least a touchdown. Prediction: Vikings -4
The total has gone under in six out of the last 10 games played by the Falcons. The over and under are at an even 3-3 in Atlanta’s last six games played on the road. The total has gone under in seven out of the last 10 games played by the Vikings. Minnesota has seen the total go under in four out of their last five home games played. Head to head, the total has gone under in seven out of the last 10 games between the Falcons and Vikings.
Falcons
O 47.5 -110
Vikings
U 47.5 -110
Odds were taken from Titanbet.com as of 7/18/19
The total has gone over in five out of the last seven games of the Falcons against an NFC North opponent. The over is 5-1 in Atlanta’s last six games played in September. On the other hand, the under is 6-1 in the Vikings’ last seven games against the NFC North division. These teams have combined to score an average of 41.8 points per game in their last 10 meetings and just 40.67 points in their last three encounters. I don’t think the Falcons are going to score enough points to help the total go over, not with their running game. Prediction: Under 47.5