The Atlanta Falcons were one of five teams to crack 40 points in Week 1 and for their home opener, Matt Ryan’s offense will need every bit of artillery it can find against Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos
Manning “knows Domes” and his 10 most recent road games indoors produced 7 overs and 3 unders
Early NFL odds for Week 2 hit the market Sunday right about the time Peyton Manning was convincing the entire sports betting world he truly was ‘good to go’. Fantasy football owners who took the leap this year, we salute you!
Denver only scored 31 points, which is 11 points more than its 2011 per game average, but they did so in 24:55 minutes of possession. It was classic Manning efficiency and now Denver brings its show on the road for to the Monday Night Football stage.
Online sportsbooks tested the waters with this game at Falcons -3.5 and 49 but Bronco backers and “Over” bettors swept in like vultures, moving the number to Atlanta -3 and inching the total up to 51.
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DENVER BRONCOS AT ATLANTA FALCONS
Pinnacle Sports Odds: Falcons -3, O/U 51
Atlanta is coming off a 40-24 win at Kansas City that probably served as good medicine from the agony of the 24-2 playoff loss in New York earlier this year. The Falcons averaged 24 points per game last season but that tally jumps to 29.5 at the Georgia Dome.
Playing in a dome is no problem for Manning after his tenure at Indianapolis and when his Colts hit the road, they didn’t skip a beat. From 2005 through the 2010 season, Indianapolis was 37-14 away from home (31-18-2 ATS), the best straight-up road record in the NFL.
During that span, Indy posted 28 overs and 23 unders including a 7-3 O/U record indoors. It was under the primetime spotlight where Manning really shined, however, as his teams compiled a 15-2 SU record.
MAKE EM COUNT
Atlanta HC Mike Smith does not overlook non-Conference matchups and since he took over, the Falcons are 13-4 SU against the AFC with a 12-4-1 ATS record. Atlanta scored an average of 24.3 points in those contests but rule out the road games and the team’s record goes to 7-1 SU, 6-1-1 ATS with a 29.6 scoring average.
EARLY NFL PICKS
Atlanta and Denver have played each other eight times since 1985 and the Broncos own a 7-1 record straight-up. Different times, different teams but that still can’t sit well with Smith. Seven of those games went over the total and with the firepower these teams bring to the table, we’re betting this one follows suit.
Pick: Take the Over
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