Back the Falcons
Placing NFL bets in Week 1 is never a sure thing. Good team don’t show much of their playbooks during the preseason for good reason. They’re saving the good stuff up for when the games really count.
However, it’s Foles’ shaky preseason performance that should cause you to go with the Falcons here. At times, he looked like a quarterback who wasn’t qualified to lead a CFL offense. It’s fair to wonder whether or not he’d still be on the Eagles roster if he hadn’t piloted them to an amazing Super Bowl victory just a few months ago.
There’s no real question that Atlanta can score points here. Julio Jones should be in position to have a really good game. The Falcons enter the game with a healthy offense which gives them a huge advantage. Ryan might struggle a little against a fired up Philadelphia defense in the first quarter, but he should find his rhythm sooner rather than later. He isn’t the sexiest quarterback in the league, but steady and reliable guys are the right ones to back in Week 1.
In terms of the over/under, stay away from this entirely. It’s a foolish play early in the season for the most part. The question of whether or not Foles can move this offense makes it a really tough call. If you have to bet it, go with the under, but again, this is not a wager you should be making with any conviction.
Our prediction here is that the Falcons are going to win a pretty cagey game. Neither team will distinguish themselves as Super Bowl favorites, but Atlanta will do just enough to earn a massive road win.