Look for Atlanta Falcons to Bounce Back Against the Football Lines

NFC non-divisional football betting game lines are up and ready to go at BetOnline Sportsbook for the battle between the Arizona Cardinals and Atlanta Falcons from the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, GA.

Game Date/Time: Sunday, September 19th, 1:00 ET

Game Location: Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA

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Arizona Cardinals vs. Atlanta Falcons

TV/Radio Broadcast: FOX, Sirius, XM

NFL Football Odds

Arizona Cardinals (+6.5) -110

Atlanta Falcons (-6.5) -110

Over/Under 43

Both clubs enter this Week 2 battle in completely different mind frames. The Cardinals come in ecstatic after it snatched a hard fought 17-13 road win and cover against what proved to be a very pesky St. Louis Rams outfit last Sunday. On the other sideline, the Falcons enter mighty peeved after dropping a 15-9 overtime decision at Heinz Field against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

For a number of years, the Cardinals had problems covering the football lines for their betting backers away from the desert, but last week’s victory in the Edward Jones Dome marked the seventh win in nine road tries for head coach Ken Whisenhunt’s outfit.

QB Derek Anderson made the coaching staff look great for giving him the starting nod, as he went on to complete 22 of his 41 passes for 297 yards and a TD. With Timothy Hightower and LaRod Stephens-Howling combining to tote the rock for 103 yards on 20 carries, the Cardinals balanced attack was just too much for the home team to ultimately overcome.

With Atlanta getting gouged by the Steelers to the tune of 143 rushing yards, which included Rashard Mendenhall’s 50 yard TD scamper to end the game, the Cardinals could once again flourish offensively if the RB duo is able to repeat last week’s performance.

The story was much different for the Falcons on the offensive side of the ball last week, but then again, one would never confuse the Pittsburgh Steelers defense for that of the St. Louis Rams.

Though Matt Ryan completed 61 percent of his passes for 252 yards, he was picked off once and failed to throw a TD strike. What was most impressive about lighting the Steelers “D” up through the air was the fact that he got absolutely no help from his ground attack.

Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood combined for just 50 yards on 21 combined carries; that equated to a woeful 2.4 YPC average overall; numbers like that won’t get it done in this league. It ended up being one of the main reasons Atlanta failed to cover the Week 1 football lines.

NFL Insider Tip: The Falcons went 6-2 SU and 5-1 ATS when installed the favorite at home last season. In two years at the Falcons helm, head coach Mike Smith owns impressive 13-3 SU & 11-4-1 ATS marks in the Georgia Dome.

Let’s face it, St. Louis just wasn’t experienced enough to beat the Cardinals last week. They had a number of excellent opportunities to do so, but caught some bad breaks and weren’t readily able to step up when it mattered most. Atlanta is very much so experienced and able to take advantage of those opportunities if the Cardinals are once again in a charitable kind of mood.

With Atlanta a rock solid 13-3 ATS the L/16 times it played after a SU loss paired with the fact that I believe they win the game outright, I say back them on the Week 2 football lines on Sunday and ride that 81 percent winning streak back to the betting window after the game concludes.

My NFL Predictions: Atlanta Falcons (-6.5) -110

Here at BetOnline Sportsbook, we have all of your football odds for week 1 of the regular season. Be sure to check them out by clicking here!