Chargers at Falcons: Game preview, odds, prediction
By John Buhler
The Atlanta Falcons will host the San Diego Chargers at the Georgia Dome in Week 7. Here is a game preview, the betting odds, and final score prediction.
The Atlanta Falcons play the San Diego Chargers in Week 7 on Sunday, October 23rd. Kickoff from the Georgia Dome will be at 4:05 PM ET. FOX will have the late afternoon telecast.
San Diego will enter play at 2-4 on the year. The Chargers knocked off the AFC West rival Denver Broncos on Thursday Night Football in Week 6. San Diego plays hard, but has found new and creative ways to lose games in 2016 and one could argue that the Chargers could be 6-0 if they didn’t fall apart in four different fourth quarters.
Atlanta is atop the NFC South at 4-2 and have one of the best offenses in football. Defensively, the team is getting better, but there is still plenty of room for improvement in the second year under head coach Dan Quinn.
According to OddsShark.com, the Falcons are laying 6.5 points at home to the visiting Chargers. The associated moneylines are Atlanta -312 and San Diego +225. The over/under for this game comes in at a combined 53.5 points.
Odds
Point Spread: Atlanta -6.5
Moneylines: Atlanta -312, San Diego +255
Over/Under: 53.5
Here are a few trends to keep in mind with the Chargers: 1.) San Diego is 8-2 against the spread in its last 10 games, but 4-14 in its last 18 games straight up. 2.) The Chargers are 8-1 against the spread in their last nine road games, but are 0-5 in their last five games away from Qualcomm Stadium. 3.) San Diego has gone over in five of the Chargers’ last seven games.
Here are few trends to know with regards to the Falcons: 1.) The Falcons are 5-0 against the spread in their last five games and 4-1 straight up. 2.) Atlanta has gone over in five of its last six games, but under in 11 of its last 16. 3.) The Falcons are 2-6 against the spread in their last eight home games.
This game features two of the best quarterbacks in football with Philip Rivers of the Chargers and Matt Ryan of the Falcons. Both teams are capable of putting up a ton of points under the guidance of their respective signal callers. With Atlanta’s offense being more balanced that it was the year before, take the over in this one.
As for the point spread, expect this game to be decided by only one score. Their records are inverted, but these two teams play similarly in all three phases. Offensively, it begins and ends with superior quarterback play. Defensively, it is the secondary that both teams lean on. Both teams have slightly better than average special teams play.
Atlanta is going to win this game for three reasons:
1.) Atlanta is coming off a tough loss that a lot of people saw on Sunday afternoon against the Seattle Seahawks. San Diego just played an emotional game against the Broncos and came out victorious. Atlanta will play tighter on Sunday than the Falcons did against the Seahawks. San Diego could very well come out flat in the first quarter and find themselves in an early hole.
2.) Though the Chargers have Antonio Gates and Travis Benjamin, the Falcons have the better offensive weaponry in this game. Atlanta should be able to run the football better at the Georgia Dome than the Falcons did last week at CenturyLink Field. Also, Julio Jones is ready to atone for his fourth quarter blunders in Week 6. Expect a big day from Jones, Tevin Coleman, and Devonta Freeman.
3.) This might give Atlanta more of an advantage than we think. The Falcons are playing well right now. The city gets really excited when the team is any bit good. Expect the Georgia Dome to be rocking for a 4:05 PM ET. Start it will aid in the pass rush and run stuffing defensively. With Rivers been immobile, look for Vic Beasley to play better coming off the edge.
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This game won’t be decided until late in the fourth quarter, but Atlanta will be the better team on Sunday afternoon.
Pick: Falcons 31, Chargers 24