Falcons vs. Patriots: Preview, score prediction for Week 7
By Randy Gurzi
Atlanta Falcons vs. New England Patriots
It’s a rematch of Super Bowl 51 as the Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots will meet in Week 7. We all know what happened in that meeting as the Falcons took a 28-3 lead into the fourth quarter, only to allow the greatest comeback in NFL history.
With a recent second-half collapse against the Miami Dolphins where they lost a 17-0 lead, Atlanta has set themselves up for plenty of speculation about blowing any lead they may be able to get this time around as well. New England on the other hand just had a comeback from 14-0.
It all sets up for another unforgettable matchup between these two.
Atlanta Keys To Victory
Keep the pedal down: Losing a 25-point lead is rough. Facing that team again after just losing a 17-point lead the week before has to be more painful. If Atlanta gets even the slightest lead, they have to stay aggressive. The game is 60 minutes, and they need to remember that.
Don’t forget Julio: One thing that’s baffling is how the Falcons can just forget about Julio Jones. They get these leads, but don’t go back to him once they do. They also have no idea how to use him in the red zone as he has no touchdown receptions this season. In order to win, it’s time to treat him like the stud he is and force feed him the ball.
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Learn to tackle: For some reason, the Dirty Birds can’t tackle. They have a lightning fast defense, which they need because offensive players don’t go down until they get hit by the third or fourth Falcon. They have to make the tackles in this one, or things can get ugly.
New England Keys To Victory
Attack the secondary: The Falcons secondary is a weakness, and they’re also prone to at least one awful pass interference call each game. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady can — and should — exploit them in this one.
Get pressure on Ryan: Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan looks like the pre-Kyle Shanahan version of Matt Ryan rather than the 2016 NFL MVP version. New England isn’t great on defense, but if they can find a way to get pressure on Ryan, he can keep forcing bad passes and having turnovers. The offensive line in Atlanta is pretty weak, so there’s plenty of opportunity for New England to create that pressure even without a stud edge rusher.
Stuff the run: Atlanta has two talented running backs, but they have no clue how to use them. Devonta Freeman is the highest paid in the game, but they gave him nine carries. That’s just dumb. All New England needs to do in this one is stuff a few runs to start the game and offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian will panic and abandon the run. It’s what he does.
Odds
Point Spread: New England -3.5
Moneyline: Atlanta +166, New England -185
Over/Under: 55
Odds via Sportsbook Review
Next: 2017 NFL Picks, score predictions for Week 7
Prediction
Good news for the Falcons is they won’t blow a 25-point lead in this game. That’s because they won’t have one. They’re playing terrible football right now and have only one game they won easily. Their other two wins came down to last second plays, and they could have easily lost. New England will also be out to prove their shaky game against the Jets was a fluke. They should win easily.
Final Score: Atlanta Falcons: 23, New England Patriots: 34