The Atlanta Falcons and the Philadelphia Eagles highlight the start of the 2018 NFL regular season in a Week 1 matchup this Thursday night. BetOnline has listed Philadelphia as a 2.5-point home favorite with the betting line for the total set at 45.5 points.
In a rematch from last season’s NFL playoffs, the Atlanta Falcons will open their 2018 regular season on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles. Game time from Lincoln Financial Field is set for 8:20 p.m. on NBC.
Atlanta at Philadelphia Game Overview
The last time that Atlanta took the field in a game where the final score meant something was last January in the Divisional Round of the NFC playoffs. The Falcons ended up on the wrong end of a 15-10 loss closing as 2.5-point road favorites. They return to the scene of the crime with a 0-4 run through this preseason both straight-up and against the spread. The total stayed UNDER in three of the four games with Atlanta scoring a combined 27 points.
With Matt Ryan under center for the entire game on Thursday night throwing the ball to Julio Jones and rookie wide receiver Calvin Ridley, Atlanta should manage to put some points on the board. It also added running back Ito Smith and wide receiver Russell Gage in the later rounds of the 2018 draft. Ryan threw for 4,095 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2017 while completing 64.7 percent of his 529 passing attempts.
Philadelphia went on to win two more games last season as an underdog, including a stunning 41-33 upset over New England in Super Bowl LII as a 4.5-point underdog. The Eagles are coming off a very forgettable 1-3 run through the 2018 preseason both SU and ATS in which one the highest scoring offenses in the league combined to score a grand total of 33 points in the four games.
Nick Foles took over the quarterbacking duties for Philadelphia when MVP hopeful Carson Wentz was lost for the season in Week 14 with a torn ACL in his left knee. He remains on the road to recovery, but it still looks like Foles will get the call this Thursday night. In a relief role, Foles completed 57 of his 101 passing attempts for 537 yards and five touchdowns. In his Super Bowl LII MVP performance, he completed 28-of-43 passes for 373 yards and three scores.
Atlanta at Philadelphia Betting Trends
- The Falcons have gone 13-6 SU in their last 19 road games, but they fall to 2-6 ATS in their previous eight games played on the road. The total has stayed UNDER in five of their last six road games.
- The Eagles are 12-4 ATS in their last 16 games overall, and they have won 11 of their last 12 games SU on their home field. The total has stayed UNDER in four of their previous five games at home.
- Head-to-head in this Week 1 showdown, Philadelphia has won eight of its last nine home games against Atlanta, and it is 12-4-1 ATS in the previous 17 meetings. The total stayed UNDER in 10 of the last 13 games between the two NFC foes.
