Atlanta Falcons (2-1) at San Francisco 49ers (3-1)
The Atlanta Falcons were the surprise team of 2008 in the NFC, and they meet the early-season surprise in that conference this year in the San Francisco 49ers.
San Francisco is a 2.5-point betting favorite on WagerWeb.com.
The 49ers are coming off a defensive/special teams effort against the Rams last week that is rarely seen. In that 35-0 win, the 49ers had three defensive/special teams scores, the first time a team had done so since the Bears had three in a 48-41 victory against Minnesota in Week 7 last year. It was the 49ers’ first shutout in 119 games.
San Francisco didn’t miss the injured Frank Gore last week, but it certainly should this week – Glen Coffee starts again at running back. And the Niners won’t be activating rookie WR Michael Crabtree quite yet after the former Texas Tech star became the final 2009 draft pick to sign this week.
From a betting perspective, you may want to take the Falcons, who were off last week. Over the previous seven seasons, teams coming off byes against teams that played the week before are 111-84-3 (.569) against the line. But Atlanta has dropped two of its past three following the bye week and is 10-10 all-time following the week off. And the Niners are 4-0 ATS this year.
San Francisco QB Shaun Hill is 7-0 at Candlestick Park as the Niners’ starting QB. Hill posted a 104.9 rating against the Rams in Week 4 — his fourth career 100+ rating contest overall (3-1 record in those games).
Atlanta’s offense isn’t quite in sync yet, with the team’s rushing offense just 25th in the league. Falcons RB Michael Turner has only 226 yards in three games and is averaging a full yard less per carry this year (3.5) than he did in 2008 (4.5). San Francisco’s defense, behind star LB Patrick Willis, ranks sixth overall and No. 4 against the run, so Matt Ryan may need a big day for Atlanta to win.
Look for both teams’ top tight ends to have big games Sunday. The Niners’ Vernon Davis is tied for ninth among NFL tight ends with 17 receptions to go with three touchdowns, all in the past two games. Atlanta’s Tony Gonzalez has 13 catches with two TDs and leads the team with 160 yards receiving. Gonzalez also has gone 134 consecutive games with at least one catch.
Bet on the NFL at WagerWeb.com
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading ...
