Sports Betting

Falcons seek revenge on Monday nightTaking advantage of an opponent's trials and tribulations might not seem very sporting, but the Atlanta Falcons will likely have no qualms with using everything they can on Monday night when they face the Philadelphia Eagles in their season opener. The Eagles bounced the Falcons from the NFL playoffs last season, beating them 27-10 in the NFC Championship Game en route to an appearance in the Super Bowl. Philadelphia covered the 4.5-point spread in that game, while the combined score fell UNDER the contest's posted total (41). In fact, Philadelphia is 4-0 (including two playoff wins) versus Atlanta since Andy Reid became the Eagles' head coach back in 1999. The Eagles also managed to cover the posted spread in all four of those contests (which included three UNDER plays and a single OVER result). So Atlanta will be looking for some revenge Monday night, and they'll have three things working in their favor: 1) This time, they're playing at home. 2) Philadelphia's depth has taken a hit with the losses of Todd Pinkston, Freddie Mitchell, Chad Lewis, Correll Buckhalter, and Corey Simon. 3) Terrell Owens has been his usual, disruptive self. Add it all up, and how much is Atlanta favored by in this game? Uh, actually they're still the underdogs, as the oddsmakers have pegged the Eagles as 1-point (or at some books 1.5-point) road favorites. The total for the night has been set at 41.5. Obviously, then, Philadelphia still has their backers. And one key game note could explain why: The Eagles defeated the Falcons without T.O. in the lineup last January, and the star receiver may be trouble off the field but he looked great in the preseason. And Owens may need to be great all year for Philadelphia to make it back to the Super Bowl, as their receiving corps took a hit with the season-ending injury to Pinkston and the departure of Mitchell. That leaves Owens, second-year player Greg Lewis, and rookie Reggie Brown as Donovan McNabb's top targets. McNabb got the job done in the NFC Championship game versus the Falcons last season, but wasn't spectacular in the win. The quarterback went 17-for-26 for 180 yards passing, and threw two touchdown strikes. Falcons QB Michael Vick, on the other hand, wasn't good at all in that game. Vick (who was sacked four times) completed only 11-of-24 pass attempts for 136 yards, with no touchdown passes and one interception. Atlanta's only major score in the loss came off a Warrick Dunn 10-yard run. That means Vick will be looking for some redemption Monday night. Although it is only Week 1 of the season, a win over the Eagles would not only be a psychological boost for Atlanta, but it would give them a leg up in the quest for home-field advantage throughout the conference playoffs. With most teams in the NFC expected to (how do we put this gently) stink, matchups between actual contenders in the conference take on that much more meaning. Atlanta will have one more factor on their side Monday night: Health. The Falcons didn't list anyone on their Week 1 injury report. The Eagles, meanwhile, have CB Dexter Wynn listed as questionable, while S Sean Considine, P Dirk Johnson, RB Josh Parry, and DT Sam Rayburn all made the list as probable. The Falcons went 4-1 in the preseason, scoring 107 points and allowing 72. The Eagles, meanwhile, finished with a 2-2 mark, scoring 92 points and allowing 106. In Week 2, the Eagles will play host to the San Francisco 49ers. The Falcons will travel to Seattle in Week 2 to take on the Seattle Seahawks.
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