Let’s see which team takes the win on this Washington at Falcons betting pick.
Washington (1-2) is a slight -1.5 favorite when they head to Atlanta (1-2) for NFL week four action. There’s some value on the Falcons here, not just because they are at home but with the momentum of last week’s 17-14 win at the Giants. WFT suffered a 21-point loss at Buffalo last week, and their only win of 2021 is also against the Giants.
Can Heinicke Carry Washington?
You don’t like the two interceptions, but WFT QB Taylor Heinicke had another decent outing in week 3, throwing for two TDs and running in another. That being said, a big chunk of Heinicke’s 212 yards passing came on a screen pass that Antonio Gibson took 73-yards for a TD. Overall, it was a good follow-up for the QB after his 336 yard, 2 TD performance fueled the 30-29 win over New York in week 2.
Washington’s defense definitely has some questions coming into Sunday’s matchup, as they gave up a 358 yard, 4 TD performance to Buffalo’s Josh Allen last week. Was that just an anomaly while facing a very good Bills defense or a sign of some problems for WFT?
It’s very early, but Washington comes into this game ranked 31st in the NFL in yards/game allowed after being 2nd in that category in 2020. The good news is Atlanta hasn’t really shown potency with their offense, throwing for barely over 215, running for just over 80 yards per game, and scoring only 16.0 points per, which is 3rd fewest in the league.
Atlanta Tries to Build Off a Win
The Falcons looked like they were headed to 0-3, down 14-7 on the road in the 4th quarter against the Giants last week. Instead, they rallied, with Matt Ryan hitting 9 of 10 passes on a game-tying drive that culminated in a Lee Smith 1-yd TD catch with 4:13 left. The defense held, and Ryan again put the Falcons into position for a Younghoe Koo game-winning 40 yard FG.
Ryan played well down the stretch last week, and now the big question is if he can build on that? The veteran QB has completed better than 75% of his passes the last two weeks but also had 3 INTs in a 48-25 loss to Tampa Bay two games ago.
Atlanta’s defense was #6 vs. the run last season but also dead last against the pass (293.6). They’ve been a little better in the secondary so far this year (255.3), but it’s looking like another big day for Heinicke and the Washington passing attack. With Washington’s defense having early struggles this game has a higher total than expected (O/U 47.5).
Washington at Atlanta Pick
The Falcons don’t have much of a run game, so it’s all on Ryan to keep them competitive in this spot. If Washington can continue to put up points with Heinicke under center, that’s going to let Chase Young and the WFT tee off on the Atlanta passing game.
The Pick: Washington 1.5
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