The New England Patriots will travel to the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Thursday night to take on the Atlanta Falcons in a Super Bowl LI rematch. The Patriots are second in the AFC East with a 6-4 record and are riding a four-game winning streak after defeating the Cleveland Browns 45-7. Mac Jones went 19-of-23 for 198 yards and three touchdowns. The Falcons are last in the NFC North with a 4-5 record and are coming off a 43-3 road loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Matt Ryan went 9-of-21 for 117 yards and a pair of interceptions.
Patriots at Falcons Betting Preview
New England Patriots Preview: Running Helps the Passing Game
The New England Patriots love to establish a bit of a running game with running back Damien Harris. On the season, he has 133 rushing attempts for 547 yards (4.1 yards per carrying) with a rushing touchdown and 11 receptions for 63 yards (5.7 yards per catch). He missed the last game with a concussion, so it will be interesting to see if he can clear protocols and be on the field here.
This season, the New England Patriots defense has been criminally underrated as they are giving up 17.7 points per game. In their previous game against the Cleveland Browns, New England allowed seven points on 217 total yards of offense (118 passing, 99 rushings). They forced the Browns to go just 1-of-11 on third down and 2-of-4 on fourth down attempts. It’s going to be tough to defeat the Patriots when they allow 3.1 yards per passing attempt.
Atlanta Falcons Preview: More Than a TE
Rookie tight end Kyle Pitts has been doing exceptionally well this year as he has 36 receptions on 57 targets for 546 yards (15.2 yards per catch) with one receiving touchdown). In his last game against the Cowboys, Pitts finished with four catches on seven targets for 60 yards (15 yards per reception).
The Atlanta Falcons have been one of the worst defenses in the entire NFL this year as they are allowing 29.2 points per game. In their previous game against the Dallas Cowboys, Atlanta gave up 43 points on 431 total yards of offense (317 passing, 114 rushings). The Falcons need to do better than allowing six yards per play throughout the game. They also need to get the opposing offense off the field as the Falcons defense was on the field for 37:41.
Who to Bet on Patriots at Falcons
The top sportsbooks across the country have the Patriots as under a touchdown favorite in this game, and that seems to be a little conservative if you ask me. New England has covered in their last four road games against Atlanta and has been playing like the better team. Bill Belichick will put a cornerback on Kyle Pitts to limit his production, and this Falcons offense has been struggling. In their last three games without Calvin Ridley, Atlanta is averaging 14.3 points per game. New England has seemed to correct their season and could be a threat in the AFC without any teams taking that step up. All in all, go with the Patriots as under a touchdown road favorite.
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