Falcons vs Commanders Odds, Prediction, Analysis

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The season didn’t start out so well for the Washington Commanders. People were ridiculing the new name, there were numerous controversies surrounding team ownership, there were numerous injuries, and the team wasn’t playing well. Needless to say, it looked like the Commanders were headed nowhere fast.

The Atlanta Falcons have actually been much more competitive than many had thought they would be. When they traded Matt Ryan away, many felt that the Falcons were in rebuilding mode and would have a very long season. While they’ve still had some struggles, the team has been in many games and has just missed winning some games.

These two teams will meet at FedEx Field on Sunday, as the Commanders will host the Falcons. We’ll give you a brief preview of each team, and then we’ll give you our NFL Betting predictions for this important NFC matchup.

Can the Falcons Slow Down the Surging Commanders? | Atlanta Falcons at Washington Betting Preview

Atlanta Falcons

Marcus Mariota has led the Falcons this season. Mariota has done a nice job under center. He hasn’t put up huge numbers, but he has been fairly efficient.

Mariota lost one of his top targets last weekend, as tight end Kyle Pitts will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. Rookie receiver Drake London, who hasn’t played well for much of the season, will need to step things up for the Falcons.

Rookie Tyler Allgeier, along with Cordarrelle Patterson, have manned the Falcons backfield. Either of these two can make big plays for the Falcons’ offense. Offensively, Atlanta has done some good things; it’s the other side of the ball that has been the issue.

Atlanta would have a better record than their 5-6 mark if their defense was better. This is the league’s 28th-ranked defense.

They are the 32nd-ranked passing defense in the league, which makes this secondary the worst in the league. They give up over 260 passing yards per game, so we’re looking for the Commanders to take advantage of Atlanta’s secondary.

Washington Commanders

There seems to be some sort of magic surrounding Taylor Heinicke. When Heinicke took over the quarterback position last season, he led the then-Washington Football Team to the playoffs.

The team brought in Carson Wentz to lead the team this season. Wentz was mostly ineffective throughout the season, and when he went down with a thumb injury, Heinicke came in and sparked the team again.

Wentz is back, but Heinicke will continue to lead the team. Running backs Antonio Gibson and Bryan Robinson have been a pleasant surprise for the Commanders.

Terry McLaurin has taken off since Heinicke took over, and tight end Logan Thomas has had a recent resurgence. This offense is starting to take shape and will help the Commanders make a playoff run.

Defensively, this is one of the better units in the league. The defensive line is one of the league’s best, and now that Chase Young is back, the pass rush will be very good. If the defense continues to play well, that will only help the Commanders’ playoff push.

Prediction

The Commanders are three-point favorites in this one. This team has momentum heading into this one, and we think that they’ll continue on their hot streak. Atlanta will hang around, but ultimately the Commanders will win by six points, covering the spread in the process.