The Atlanta Falcons looked anemic in their loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, so it’s a perfect time for the Miami Dolphins to come to town. Now, this is the NFL, and the any given Sunday adage
always applies, but the Dolphins are downright dreadful — and it reflects in the betting odds, where Atlanta is a 7.5-point favorite over Miami on Sunday, per FanDuel Sportsbook. The over/under is sitting at 44.5 points.
Atlanta enters this contest pretty banged up, with quarterback Michael Penix Jr. the latest to be somewhat ailing. Penix suffered a bone bruise to his knee in the Sunday Night Football loss, and while he is expected to start, he will likely also be limited, which is why the Falcons should double-down on the ground game.
The Falcons possess one of the league’s most potent rushing attacks, led by the otherworldly Bijan Robinson. They are averaging 136.3 yards per game, and while they inexplicably favored the passing game in the Week 7 loss to San Francisco, they should be expected to cut it loose with Robinson and Tyler Allgeier — especially with Penix nursing an injury.
Miami, on the other hand, is in complete collapse mode. Sitting at 1-6 and dead in the water in the AFC East, the remainder of the season may be more about self-preservation than performance. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was benched last week after his second-straight game with multiple turnovers, and facing an opportunistic Atlanta defense, he should prepare for more tough sledding on Sunday.
