Falcons vs. Lions Prediction, Odds, Spread and Over/Under for NFL Preseason Week 1 (Fade Falcons to Oblivion)

Two teams in the midst of a rebuild square off in Week 1 of the preseason as Arthur Smith leads the Atlanta Falcons into Detroit to take on Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions.

Marcus Mariota gets his first crack as starting quarterback of the Falcons and is expected to play, while Jared Goff will engineer the Lions' offense.

Dating back to 2016, the Falcons are the NFL's worst preseason team. They're on a disgustingly terrible 1-17 against the spread (ATS) run, winning just twice outright in that span.

Detroit hasn't been much better, winning just once in its last 13 preseason games. To their credit though, the Lions have at least covered the spread four times over that stretch.

Which struggling team has the edge in Week 1? Let's check out the odds from WynnBET Sportsbook to analyze the value in this Falcons vs Lions matchup:

Falcons vs. Lions Odds, Spread and Total

Spread

• Falcons -2.5 (-120)
• Lions +2.5 (+100)

Moneyline:

• Falcons: -140
• Lions: +115

Total:

• 34.0 (Over -110/Under -110)

Falcons vs. Lions Betting Trends

Falcons

• 1-17 ATS last 18 preseason games

• UNDER is 11-4 last 15 preseason games

• 4-1 all-time ATS as road favorites in preseason

Lions

• OVER is 10-3 last 13 preseason games

• 3-9 ATS last 12 preseason games

• Lost eight consecutive preseason games

Falcons vs. Lions Prediction and Pick

I listened to a few Dan Campbell speeches the other day and literally ran through the wall in excitement. No really, there's just this giant hole in the bathroom now and we've got contractors here fixing it as I type.

Jokes aside, I love the mentality Campbell brings to the organization, and I have high hopes for the Lions' rebuild. I'm excited to see the talented skill players on the roster flourish, like D'Andre Swift, Amon-Ra St. Brown, TJ Hockenson and the newly-drafted Jameson Williams. There's a lot to be excited about in Detroit.

Kyle Pitts and Drake London give Falcons fans reason for excitement too, but the organization as a whole is floundering and Marcus Mariota at quarterback is hardly a commitment to excellence.

Neither is Jared Goff, for that matter, but you can see the vision in Detroit.

When it comes down to it, I can't ignore how horrifyingly bad the Falcons are in the preseason. They've covered the spread once since 2016! They're 1-15 in their last 16 preseason games and now you expect me to trust them as road favorites? No chance, especially not with Campbell and his awe-inspiring speeches on the other end.

Campbell has had months to prepare that first preseason game locker room speech. It'll be magical, it'll be legendary, and it'll be one that results in a Lions win.

Pick: Lions (+110)

Follow all of Joe Summers' betting picks here.