Atlanta Falcons @ Philadelphia Eagles

Game Total: 44.5

Line: Atlanta -1

  • This is a matchup of last season Divisional Round, where the Eagles came away with the win 15-10, en route to their Super Bowl victory. Both teams come in with implied totals over 21, so plenty of offense to be had in this game.
  • The Falcons finished 8th in passing last season, but the Eagles had the 8th DVOA against the past last season. The Falcons finished 13th in rushing last year, while the Eagles were 2nd DVOA against the run.
  • Matt Ryan only had 20 touchdowns last season, while average only 255 yards per game. There is a lot of talk about the Falcons and the offense this preseason, so if you want to buy in early on them, this is the spot.
  • Devonta Freeman saw an average of 14 carries last season while having an average of three targets per game. A nearly 20 touch running back, who played on 61% of the team's snaps and accounted for 70% of their rushing touchdowns.
  • The Falcons scored 20 or more points in 10 of their 16 games last season but also allowed 20 or more points in nine games.
  • Atlanta has won three of their last four season openers, along with the Eagles who have also won three out of their last four.
  • The Falcons had the 20th DVOA against the pass last year, along with the 20th DVOA against the run. This puts the Eagles offense in a great spot to rack up some points, as they have a favorable matchup.
  • Carson Wentz and Alshon Jeffrey will not be playing for the Eagles tonight, which means we will see Nick Foles under center.
  •  Zach Ertz had five or more receptions nine times last season while putting up a total of eight touchdowns on the year.

Pre-Game Props

1.  The last non-kneeling, offensive play of the 1st Quarter is a passing play (we'll leave this open until the 2:00 mark) 2.5 2.5

This one is really game flow dependent and you will need to keep an eye on things as the first quarter go on. I would lean towards yes, even though the odds on this are equal.

2. N. Foles throws for more passing yards than M. Ryan in the 1st Quarter 4 1.8

The odds on this one really lean towards Foles being the underdog, but the value at 4x is somewhat tough to pass up.

3. Both teams combine for 11 or more points in the 1st Quarter 3.5 2

This game has an over-under set at 44.5 points, so 11 points a quarter is the average they need to be on. Personally, I want to see some scoring and with the level of production each of these offenses had last season, we could easily get that done in the first.

4. J. Jones catches 2 or more passes on ATL opening drive

I’m going with yes on this one. We saw Julio Jones have a very down year in terms of his overall production, and I for one will be buying into the fact they want to start him off strong this season and put up a big game.

5. PHI scores on their opening drive 4.2 1.7

If you are on board with the teams scoring over 11 points in the first quarter, you should be on the same side as this one. They are decently correlated, so you can try and double down, or hedge out if necessary.

6. The first offensive play of the quarter goes for negative yards 5 1.5

This is a hard no for me. Tough to think both teams are scheming for their first play and for it to come out flat.