Atlanta Falcons vs Philadelphia Eagles NFL Odds, Betting Preview 9-6-18

The opening Thursday night game of the NFL season is always a big deal and this one should be an exciting one as the Philadelphia Eagles begin defense of their title when they battle it out with the Atlanta Falcons at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia PA. The game has a start time of 8:20 PM ET and will be televised on NBC. This is a rematch of last year’s NFC Division Round of the playoffs, which the Eagles won by a score of 15-10. This contest has a start time of 8:20 pm ET.

Lines: Philadelphia -1.5 … Over/Under 44.5

A Look At The Falcons

The Falcons finished 2017 at 10-6 and made it to the NFC Divisional Round of the playoffs. They lost that game by a score of 15-10 to these same Eagles. They have a real shot at another postseason bid this time around and will look to get off to a good start against the defending champs.  Matt Ryan is now the highest paid QB in the league and is looking to have a strong season. It helps that he has back Julio Jones, who is the best receiver in the league. He had 1444 yards receiving last year. They have also added WR Calvin Ridley with the 26th overall pick, which was a steal for them.

The Falcons are not only about the pass as they have an underrated ground attack. Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman combined for 1493 yards and 12 TDs last year and they complement the passing game nicely. They will need that running game to keep a very good Eagle defense honest. The defense had it’s first top 10 finish since 1998 and has been made even stronger with their 2nd and 3rd picks in the draft being on this side of the ball. The Falcons are solid on both sides of the ball and they are healthier than the Eagles, but still, Philly is the defending champs and they are at home. This should be a very good game.  

A Look At The Eagles

The Eagles had a magical season last year, which culminated in their first-ever Super Bowl title. Carson Wentz was on his way to an MVP title but was lost for the year in December. He is not ready as of yet, so Nick Foles will get the nod. Foles took over for Wentz last year and led them to the Title while grabbing MVP honors in the big game. He did struggle to make throws in the preseason and that does have the Eagles a bit concerned for this one. The Eagles are thin at wide receiver for this game as Alshon Jeffery and Mack Hollins are both out. They did bring back Markus Wheaton, after cutting him in May, but still, this unit will be down for the opener.

The Eagles will look to their run game in this one and it will be a good one led by Jay Ajayi and Corey Clement. Getting their ground game going will be key as it will take the pressure off of Foles. The defense was very strong last year and should be strong against, especially with the additions of Haloti Ngata from Detroit and Michael Bennett from Seattle. The main focus of the defense will be stopping Julio Jones, who did have 101 yards receiving in the playoff meeting last year. Still, even if they stop him, they will have to worry about the ground game that Atlanta has. The Eagles have their work cut out for themselves in this one.   

Trends

Atlanta is:

7-1 ATS in their last 8 Thursday games

4-1 ATS in their last 5 games in September

The Under is 7-0 in their last 7 vs. the NFC

Philadelphia is:

10-2 ATS in their last 12 games on grass

12-4 ATS in their last 16 vs. the NFC

The Over is 7-2 in their last 9 Thursday games