In an NFC matchup that should get out of hand early, the Atlanta Falcons head to the Windy City on Sunday to take on the Chicago Bears inside Soldier Field.
The Atlanta Falcons head into the 2017 NFL season as one of the best teams in the NFC, and will be looking to get back to the Super Bowl for a second consecutive year. The Falcons could come into the season with a bit of a hangover after blowing a 28-3 lead in the second half against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI last February. However, they get to play the Chicago Bears to kick off their campaign, and they should be able to roll over them in Week 1.
Chicago comes into their season opener with a ton of question marks all over their roster. They brought in Mike Glennon to be the long-term answer at quarterback, and then went out and traded up to grab Mitchell Trubisky at No. 2 in the 2017 NFL Draft. To make matters worse, they lost star wideout Cameron Meredith to a blown out knee this preseason, and he will be gone the entire season.
So as these two teams get set to battle it out inside Soldier Field on Sunday, the only real question is how long it takes the Falcons to get going on offense. Quarterback Matt Ryan is coming off an MVP season, and the two-headed monster of Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman at running back is something special. Add to that the fact that they have arguably the best wideout in the conference, and you have the makings of another prolific offense year for Atlanta.
Chicago is trying to build the franchise back up, and it is clear Glennon is now just holding the position for Trubisky. They do have the second-leading rusher in the NFL from last season in Jordan Howard, so you can expect the Falcons to see a heavy dose of him on Sunday. The Bears defense is good, but not nearly good enough to stop Ryan and his weapons for four quarters.
Odds
Line: Atlanta (-7.0)
Over/Under: 49.5
The Falcons should win this one by a touchdown at least, so betting the current line seems to make sense. They also will be scoring a ton of points against a Bears defense that should be one the field a lot due to the lack of offense. This line and over/under has changed a bit over the past week or so, so head on over to sportsbookreview.com for any changes up until kickoff.
Next: Patriots-Chiefs, NFL power rankings, Andrew Luck injury and Sheldon Richardson trade
Prediction
It is the NFL, so you never know what can happen on any given Sunday, but this feels like a forgone conclusion. I like the moves the Bears made this offseason, but the injury to Meredith was just devastating at this point. Look for the Falcons to get off to a good start in their NFC title defense in 2017, with the team finding paydirt at least four times in an easy victory over the Bears on the road.
Final Score: Falcons 38, Bears 13