Untitled document New England @ AtlantaSports.com Line: Atlanta -2.5 Total: 37 The Patriots and Falcons are both coming off of solid wins in their preseason openers. For the second straight week, the Patriots are holding joint practice sessions with their upcoming opponent, having done the same thing last week with the Saints. Tom Brady was efficient (5-for-8, 67 yards in two series) in a 27-24 win over the Saints, but suffered a finger injury on his throwing hand. In typical Patriots fashion, the extent of the injury is unknown. Despite having participated in a majority of training sessions after undergoing major knee surgery in the offseason, Wes Welker did not play in the opener and probably will not suit up on Thursday either.  Matt Ryan played just two series in the Falcons’ 20-10 win over the Chiefs, completing three of six pass attempts, including a pair of third-down conversions to Tony Gonzalez. Michael Turner had a solid performance, gaining 29 yards on just four carries with a long of 10.  

The Patriots stifled the Falcons offense in Week 3 of the 2009 regular season, posting a convincing 26-10 win in Foxboro. However, that game was played in less than ideal weather conditions with periods of heavy rain over the course of the afternoon.

 

Keep an eye on the following trend as it affects this contest, since Atlanta’s preseason mindset has been different than most teams over the years…ATLANTA is 27-13 ATS (+12.7 Units) in games where the line is +3 to -3 since 1993. The average score was ATLANTA 19.5, OPPONENT 16.9 - (Rating = 1*). Typically the Falcons have shown a desire to establish a winning attitude in the preseason.

 

Bet on the NFL at Sportsbook.com this season and take advantage of the $100,000 Perfect Parlay and $50,000 Survivor Pool.



More...