The Philadelphia Eagles host the Atlanta Falcons in the second edition of Monday Night Football.
The pregame narrative: Philly looks to keep momentum rolling into Week 2 but I’m expecting more of a defensive battle. With the knowledge of the Eagles’ struggles to finish last season, I’m also backing the Falcons to cover the spread.
Check out my Falcons vs. Eagles best bets for Sept. 16.
Falcons vs. Eagles best bets
Full NFL Week 2 betting markets: Click Here
Best Bet: Under 47 points (-110)
Philadelphia put on a good showing in Week 1, scoring 34 points against the Green Bay Packers in a game that finished with 63 total points.
That was an international game in Brazil so it does come with a grain of salt, however.
Unders went 10-7-0 for Atlanta last season and its Week 1 game went well under the given total, ending with 28 points.
The Falcons’ defence allowed 18 points to the Pittsburgh Steelers but all of them came off of field goals — and if there’s any concern it’s the rushing defence.
The unit allowed 133 rushing yards but that was on 41 attempts which still equals out to a respectable 3.24 yards per carry.
Additionally, the offence scored 10 points, leaving me concerned with the early chemistry which should work itself out eventually.
But even an early stand from both defences should be enough to keep the game total under this rather lofty total.
Key stat: Atlanta allowed the 10th fewest yards per game last season despite ranking 23rd in time of possession.
Quick pick
Falcons +6.5 (-118): If anything scares me about the first bet, it’s the potential for the Falcons’ offence to put up numbers.
Call me crazy but I think Atlanta’s defence is much better than Philidelphia’s. Last season, the Eagles gave up the third most passing yards per game (255.7).
Kirk Cousins didn’t look good in Week 1 but the Falcons’ quarterback has surpassed 4,000 passing yards in eight of his last nine healthy seasons. He was on pace last year with 2,331 in eight weeks before getting injured.
For Atlanta, his offensive weapons consist of Bijan Robinson, Kyle Pitts and Drake London. Three of the top touted young playmakers in the league.
I ultimately expect this game to be a bit of a snoozefest but if Cousins finds some chemistry at any point, he could do damage against the Eagles’ defence.
Philadelphia did lose five of its last six games of the 2023-2024 regular season before losing in the wild-card round to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers so I have to factor that in as well.
Picks made at 2:08 p.m. ET 09/14/2024
Spencer is a true sports junkie. A graduate of the Sports Journalism program at Centennial College, he first joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2023. He is now a contributing writer. He loves finding the edge to bet on in all sports but has a deep passion for the NBA and UFC. Previous stops include Sportsnet.