Bengals Falcons Betting – Falcons’ Home Edge Lifts Them Over Bengals
Sports betting players have an intriguing game on their hands this week when the Cincinnati Bengals head to Atlanta to face the Falcons. These teams are very similar and there isn’t much between them, but the Falcons have been great at the Georgia Dome in their recent history, while the Bengals have struggled on the road.
- What: NFL betting
- When: Sunday, October 24th, 1:00 PM ET
- Where: Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA
- Pick: Atlanta Falcons
What’s On The Line
The Bengals (2-3) were idle and hopefully, they used their week off to get back on track after three-point losses to the Cleveland Browns and at home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Atlanta Falcons (4-2) fell 31-17 to the Philadelphia Eagles, which snapped a four-game winning streak, so they’ll be looking to return to their winning ways. There’s more on the line for the Bengals, who have underachieved so far this season, and a win would go a long way in getting them back into the AFC North race.
Offensive Matchups: Bengals Falcons Betting
On paper, the Bengals should have one of the top-five offenses in the league. But Carson Palmer is 25th in passer rating, Chad Ochocinco isn’t burning secondaries like you’d think they would be and it appears the Bengals are going out of their way to get the ball to Terrell Owens over him. Rookie slot receiver, Jordan Shipley, will hopefully be back from a concussion, and if the Bengals can get the aerial game going, that opens it up for Cedric Benson. However, the key is Palmer, who has been all over the place and turns the ball over at critical times.
The Falcons were brought back to earth by the Eagles, who jumped out to a 21-0 lead. That took Michael Turner out of the game as the Falcons had to go to the air, and Matt Ryan couldn’t bring them all the way back. Still, the Falcons can score with anyone when all of their important players are healthy, and at home the week before a bye, they’re going to come out with guns blazing.
Betting Edge: Draw
Defensive Matchups: Bengals Falcons Betting
Cincinnati’s defense has been keeping them in games when the offense makes mistakes: the Bengals have turned the ball over 10 times, but forced 12 turnovers. However, a four-game suspension of end Antawn Odom hurts their pass rush, although they should have enough depth to cover for him. The linebackers are fast and they hit like dump trucks, and the secondary is opportunistic. This defense is even better than the stats say.
Atlanta’s defense was lit up by Kevin Kolb and the Eagles, who opened up the playbook and went on to pound on the Falcons’ secondary. The Falcons managed to stop the Eagles on three of four red-zone opportunities, but they spent the day giving up big plays, both on the ground and through the air. To make matters worse, their best cornerback, Dunta Robinson, hurt himself hitting the Eagles’ DeSean Jackson, knocking them both out of the game.
Betting Edge: Bengals
Notable Injuries: Bengals Falcons Betting
Shipley (concussion) has made some progress, but he’ll likely be watched very closely throughout the week by the Bengals. Safety Roy Williams (knee) is questionable as well.
Linebacker Sean Witherspoon (knee) missed the Philly game, so he and Robinson (concussion) will have to be watched this week.
Betting Edge: Draw
Outlook and Pick: Bengals Falcons Betting
The Falcons will likely be the NFL betting favorites at home, and these two have met five times since 1990, with Atlanta taking a 3-2 record both SU and ATS. This will be one of the toughest games of the week to handicap because they’re very similar teams. The Bengals should have the edge, but they’re also playing on the road, where they are 4-6 both SU and ATS in their last 10 games. The Falcons are 8-2 SU and 7-3 ATS in their last 10 at the Georgia Dome, and that’s a huge factor in us taking Atlanta in our online betting picks this week, even though Cincinnati is probably the better team.
Stan’s Pick: Atlanta Falcons
