The Falcons season completely changed complexion over the past two weeks, with Atlanta dominating the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football and the Green Bay Packers on Thursday Night Football. After starting the year as the league’s worst offense behind third-string quarterback Cooper Rush, the Falcons are now the league’s best offense since Michael Penix Jr. returned to the lineup. Talk about a dramatic transformation.
Atlanta also continued their elite play on primetime, moving to an astounding
10-1 on Monday Night Football over the past decade. What they did to New Orleans in their home stadium on the anniversary of the Saints return to the Superdome is perhaps their best performance yet. To put it simply, this Falcons team has defied all expectations and are now tied for the NFC South lead at 2-2.
That dominance and defiance of expectations are the reason that the Falcons are now 3-point home favorites against the Baltimore Ravens (3-1) on Sunday Night Football in Week 5 per FanDuel. Some of that certainly has to do with the uncertain status of Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, who left Week 4’s game with an ankle injury and is considered a long shot to play. Even without that, I would’ve expected to see these odds fairly even given Atlanta’s incredible play over the previous two weeks.
We’ll keep a close eye on the injury report going into Week 5, but the Falcons have an outstanding opportunity to get their first winning record of the season this week. The Ravens will not be an easy opponent, even without Lamar Jackson, so the team will need to prepare for a tough battle. Baltimore still possesses a terrific rushing attack headlined by Derrick Henry, along with a stout defense that is currently 10th in total yardage allowed. A defensive slugfest seems to be the expectation given the 43.5-point over/under, but much of that likely has to do with Lamar’s expected absence.
Let’s hope Atlanta keeps the winning streak going with another big primetime win in Week 5.
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