Denver vs Atlanta Betting
Heavyweights Do Battle Monday Night – Broncos Visit Falcons
Quarterbacks will be in the spotlight Monday night when the 1-0 Denver Broncos fresh off an impressive opening week win over Pittsburgh travel to Atlanta to take on the Atlanta Falcons who also looked very good in their initial game of the 2012 season. It is one of the marquee matchups on the Week 2 schedule – too bad we have to wait until Monday to see it!
Denver Broncos (1-0) vs. Atlanta Falcons (1-0)
Date/Time: Monday, September 17, 2012 8:30 PM ET
Venue: Georgia Dome
Broadcast: ESPN
Broncos vs. Falcons Betting Lines from Bovada
Spread: Falcons -3 (-120)
Moneyline: Broncos +145: Falcons -165
Over/Under: 51 points
Well most of the questions surrounding Peyton Manning were answered on Sunday night when he faced one of the most feared defenses in the land and came out sparkling. He went 19 of 26 for 253 yards and 2 TDs in the game and he was able to find his biggest weapon Demaryius Thomas for the game-changing score. Jacob Tamme looks like a reliable security blanket and Willis McGahee and the running game although not exactly spectacular provided a balance that kept Manning on his feet for the bulk of the game.
Denver’s defense was terrific in the opener and will be looking to build on the momentum gained in that game. The largely limited the two dangerous wideout of the Steelers (they have an equally if not more daunting task this week), they generated a ton of pressure on Ben Roethlisberger and they minimized the effectiveness of the running game.
The Broncos passed with flying colors in all aspects of the game last week but the Falcons at home are a different type of challenge!
The Atlanta Falcons were exactly as advertised last week – potent on offense and OK on defense. They put up 40 in the Chiefs in Week 1 and gave up 24 to prove this point. Matt Ryan delivered on the early season hype and completed 23 of 31 for 299 yards and three TDs and he ran for one as well. Julio Jones also proved his legion of backers correct when he went for 108 yards and two TDs. The Falcons made it look easy last week but this week will face Champ Bailey and company who did a terrific job against Big Ben and the Steelers last week. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Atlanta’s running game was a disappointment last week and will look to improve this week. Michael Turner gained just 32 yards on 11 carries in Week 1 – the running game clearly wasn’t the focus.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Falcons lost perhaps their best play maker – cornerback Brent Grimes for the season with an Achilles injury. His presence will be missed and it may force the Falcons offense to do a little more that they did last week.
Betting Prediction: Atlanta is 17-5 SU and 13-7 ATS when playing in a dome, but the Falcons have not fared well on Monday night, going 4-12 SU and 5-11 ATS. Denver is 11-1 ATS in Week 2 games, but the Broncos are 6-16 ATS on the road against teams with a winning home record. Atlanta is 7-0 ATS as a favorite of 3 or more points vs. AFC teams, but just 1-7 ATS after scoring 35 or more points in their previous outing.
Atlanta has been one of the better teams in the NFL at home the past few seasons and based on last week’s effort on the road, it is difficult to any team slowing them down this week. I am not quite a believer in the Broncos although I am getting close. Monday night has all the makings of a shootout – take the more cohesive, more potent group to prevail by a touchdown.
Pick: Atlanta Falcons -3
