Eagles vs Falcons: Betting preview & predictions for Monday night football

Week 2 of the NFL season culminates in a Monday Night Football clash between the Eagles and Falcons. The ‘Battle of the Birds’ will take place at the Linc, with Philly retiring team legend Nick Foles at halftime. If you’re looking to get in on the action, we’ve compiled all you need to know from a betting perspective ahead of the showdown.

Eagles vs Falcons: Game info

Date: Monday, Sept. 16
Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
Location: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
TV channel: ESPN

Betting info

Spread: Philadelphia Eagles -6 | Atlanta Falcons +6
Moneyline: Philadelphia Eagles -265 | Atlanta Falcons +215
Total: Over/Under 46.5

Betting preview

The Philadelphia Eagles stumbled out of the starting block in Week 1. Jalen Hurts was less than impressive against the Packers, but was still able to guide the Eagles to a big win over the Packers. The victory came large in part to Saquon Barkley‘s hat-trick and a stellar effort defensively, but if that’s the floor, then the ceiling is very high for a team that should be among the NFC Championship contenders this season.

As for the Falcons, it was a tale of two halves. Defensively, they held Justin Fields and the Steelers to 6 field goals and 0 touchdowns, showing some impressive resilience to consistently turn the tide of battle. Unfortunately, those efforts were largely wasted by awful QB play from Kirk Cousins, and sloppy offensive execution. Bijan Robinson was a force to be reckoned with, but a lot of his work was also undone by costly turnovers and mistakes.

Philly comes into this as a home favorite and it’s impossible to disagree with that line. Philly boasts a stronger roster from top to bottom and while the Falcons do have plenty of playmakers, they’re a long way from fitting the jigsaw together.

Why the Eagles can win

The Falcons’ offensive woes were worrying to say the least. Philadelphia’s defense looked very strong considering it was fielding a wealth of new faces and a brand new scheme. The linebacker play finally looks to have solidified, and Quinyon Mitchell looked excellent in his NFL debut. Guarding the Falcons’ skill-position players will be a different challenge, but one he looks more than ready for.

It’s now confirmed that A.J Brown will miss the matchup due to a minor knock, but the Birds are well-stocked at wideout with the likes of Britain Covey and Jahan Dotson who could see larger roles as a result.

The X-Factor here is Jalen Hurts. After an opening week struggle, the Eagles’ QB looked far from his MVP-caliber best, but if the Eagles can win in spite of that, imagine the damage they can do when he begins firing at a higher rate.

The Falcons’ defense should provide an opportunity for Hurts to do so, and I don’t think Atlanta necessarily has the firepower to keep up.

Why the Falcons can win

The Falcons have all the right pieces but have struggled to get it together. However, if Philadelphia’s offensive struggles do continue, especially if they are without A.J Brown, then the Falcons have a strong chance to cause an upset if they can generate some momentum with Bijan Robinson.

The defense looked good against Pittsburgh and if they can keep it close enough, they have enough offensive weapons to cause problems for the home team provided that Kirk Cousins can reduce his errors.

Betting pick

I think Philadelphia is the stronger team coming into this game and the homefield advantage will also count for a lot. Neither team was overly dominant in Week 1, but the home team is closer to hitting that level than Atlanta.

I’ll be backing the Eagles to win -6.