NFL odds: Falcons favored as they seek NFC South revenge against Bucs
The Falcons (5–3) ended their two-game losing streak with a 33–32 home win over the Packers last Sunday and now travel to face the Buccaneers (3-4) as 3.5–point road favorites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com for the Week 9 Thursday night game.
Including the victory against the Packers, the Falcons have failed to cover the spread in 11 straight games as favorites, according to the OddsShark NFL Database. They closed as three-point chalk versus Green Bay.
NFL Week 9 Power Rankings: Just how many good teams are there this year?
Atlanta’s previous two losses were decided by a combined five points. Quarterback Matt Ryan turned things around Sunday with an 11-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Mohamed Sanu with 31 seconds left. Ryan completed 28 of 35 passes for 288 yards and three touchdowns and will get a chance to avenge the team’s Week 1 loss to Tampa Bay at home. The Bucs arrived in Atlanta as 2.5-point underdogs only to upset the Falcons, 31–24.
Meanwhile, Tampa Bay saw its two-game winning streak stop with a 30–24 overtime loss to the Raiders at home last week. The Bucs surrendered 513 yards to Oakland quarterback Derek Carr, who threw four touchdown passes, the last of which was a 41-yard game-winner to wide receiver Seth Roberts with 1:45 remaining in OT. The Raiders were somehow able to overcome committing an NFL-record 23 penalties for 200 yards, as Tampa Bay quarterback Jameis Winston failed to take advantage of one of the NFL’s worst pass defenses and finished with only 180 yards and two touchdowns.
Even though Atlanta has struggled in the role of the favorite lately, the favored team has won 19 of the past 22 meetings between these NFC South rivals.
2016 NFL Re-Draft
1. Rams select Carson Wentz, QB, North Dakota State (Actual pick: Jared Goff, QB)
2. Eagles select Dak Prescott, QB, Mississippi State (Actual pick: Carson Wentz, QB)
3. Chargers select Jalen Ramsey, DB, Florida State (Actual pick: Joey Bosa, DE)
4. Cowboys select Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio State (Actual pick: Ezekiel Elliott, RB)
5. Jaguars select Jack Conklin, OT, Michigan State (Actual pick: Jalen Ramsey, DB)
6. Ravens select Laremy Tunsil, OT, Ole Miss (Actual pick: Ronnie Stanley, OT)
7. 49ers select Jared Goff, QB, California (Actual pick: DeForest Buckner, DE)
8. Titans select Joey Bosa, DE, Ohio State (Actual pick: Jack Conklin, OT)
9. Bears select Leonard Floyd, LB, Georgia (Actual pick: Leonard Floyd, LB)
10. Giants select Karl Joseph, S, West Virginia (Actual pick: Eli Apple, CB)
11. Buccaneers select Vernon Hargreaves, CB, Florida (Actual pick: Vernon Hargreaves, CB)
12. Saints select Yannick Ngakoue, DE, Maryland (Actual pick: Sheldon Rankins, DT)
13. Dolphins select Cody Whitehair, OL, Kansas State (Actual pick: Laremy Tunsil, OT)
14. Raiders select Keanu Neal, S, Florida (Actual pick: Karl Joseph, S)
15. Browns select Will Fuller, WR, Notre Dame (Actual pick: Corey Coleman, WR)
16. Lions select Eli Apple, CB, Ohio State (Actual pick: Taylor Decker, OT)
17. Falcons select Deion Jones, LB, LSU (Actual pick: Keanu Neal, S)
18. Colts select Jatavis Brown, LB, Akron (Actual pick: Ryan Kelly, C)
19. Bills select Darron Lee, LB, Ohio State (Actual pick: Shaq Lawson, DE)
20. Jets select Jordan Jenkins, LB, Georgia (Actual pick: Darron Lee, LB)
21. Texans select DeForest Buckner, DE, Oregon (Actual pick: Will Fuller, WR)
22. Redskins select Artie Burns, CB, Miami (Actual pick: Josh Doctson, WR)
23. Vikings select Derrick Henry, RB, Alabama (Actual pick: Laquon Treadwell, WR)
24. Bengals select Ryan Kelly, C, Alabama (Actual pick: William Jackson III, CB)
25. Steelers select Su’a Cravens, S, USC (Actual pick: Artie Burns, CB)
26. Broncos select Cody Kessler, QB, USC (Actual pick: Paxton Lynch, QB)
27. Packers select WR Michael Thomas, WR, Ohio State (Actual pick: Kenny Clark, DT)
28. 49ers select Sterling Shepard, WR, Oklahoma (Actual pick: Joshua Garnett, G)
29. Cardinals select Hunter Henry, TE, Arkansas (Actual pick: Robert Nkemdiche, DT)
30. Panthers select Kendall Fuller, CB, Virginia Tech (Actual pick: Vernon Butler, DT)
31. Seahawks select Joe Thuney, G, NC State (Actual pick: Germain Ifedi, G)
The Falcons snapped a seven-game losing streak as favorites straight-up by beating the Packers, but they have gone 0–8 against the spread in their last eight games as favorites of 3.5 points or less. The Bucs have been abysmal at home against teams with winning records recently, dropping nine of 10 straight up following last Sunday’s loss.
Bettors expecting another high-scoring game like the teams’ first meeting should be aware that four of the past five meetings at Tampa Bay have hit the under. The under is 13–2 in Atlanta’s last 15 Week 9 matchups.