The Atlanta Falcons will travel to Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday afternoon to take on the Miami Dolphins in a Week 7 matchup. The Falcons are riding in on a bye week as they are 2-3 and are coming off a 27-20 win over the New York Jets in London. Matt Ryan had a good game as he finished 33-of-45 for a season-high 342 yards with two touchdowns.
The Dolphins are 1-5 this year and are coming off a 23-20 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in London. Tua Tagovailoa returned and went 33-of-47 for 329 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
The Rookie is Balling
The Atlanta Falcons love to pass the ball, and rookie tight end Kyle Pitts has been doing well as he has 24 receptions for 308 yards (12.8 yards per catch) with a touchdown.
In his last game against the New York Jets, he had nine catches on ten targets for 119 yards (13.2 yards per reception) and a touchdown. If he can figure out how to continue getting the ball, it will do wonders for the Falcons.
The Atlanta Falcons have been struggling defensively this season as they are giving up 29.6 points per game. In their previous game against the New York Jets, they allowed 20 points on 230 total yards of offense (166 passing, 64 rushing).
They did a good job as the Jets went 5-of-10 on third down. They also need to improve a bit defending the run as the Falcons allowed 3.6 yards per rush attempt. If Atlanta can improve defensively here, they will be in a better spot this week.
Involved in the Passing Game
The Miami Dolphins have been doing well this season in the passing game despite dealing with a few different quarterbacks. Tight end Mike Gesicki has been doing well this season as he has 30 catches for 342 yards (11.4 yards per reception) and a touchdown.
In his last game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Gesicki finished with eight receptions on nine targets for 115 yards (14.4 yards per catch). If Gesicki can figure out how to be involved here, it will really help Tua Tagovailoa get back into the game and have a solid weapon as a security blanket.
The Miami Dolphins need to improve defensively this season as they are allowing 29.5 points per game so far. In their previous game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, they gave up 23 points on 396 total yards of offense (312 passing, 84 rushing). The Miami Dolphins forced the Jaguars to struggle on third down as they went 3-of-12 on third down and 2-of-3 on fourth down.
They need to defend better against the run as they allowed the Jags to go 4.4 yards per rushing attempt. If the Dolphins can step up defensively as a whole, it will really help them bounce back from a 1-5 record to begin the season.
Who to Bet
Both teams have been struggling to cover the spread this season, but I like the Atlanta Falcons to cover on the road in this game. Miami is coming off a game in London while Atlanta had a bye week to rest up and get accustomed to their offense.
Miami’s secondary has struggled, and I don’t think Cordarelle Patterson will have trouble here. The Jets are a comparable defense to Miami, and look what the Falcons did without Calvin Ridley. All in all, go with Atlanta to cover on the road.