Watch: Nostrathomas Predicts: The Falcons Host the Defending NFC Champs
It’s Week 7 and the Atlanta Falcons are hosting the defending NFC Champion Los Angeles Rams. As we pointed out on Falcon Maven on Friday, there’s still a path to the playoffs for this team if they’re willing to pull together and walk it. By the end of this game we’ll know what this Falcons team is made of.
As for Nostrathomas, for the second week in a row he went 2-1 against the spread and 1-1 straight up. The Falcons and Cardinals hit the over 51.5-point total but failed to win and cover the -2.5 spread when Matt Bryant’s missed extra point kept the game from extending into overtime. For the other pick, the Seattle Seahawks came back from a 14-point deficit to beat the Browns 32-28 and deliver as -1 favorites.
Nostrathomas is now 7-2 against the spread with his predictions here on Falcon Maven and 5-3 on his straight-up game picks. Let’s see if we can’t do better this week!
Los Angeles Rams -3 at Atlanta Falcons (1 PM ET; Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA)
There are advantages that the Falcons have against Los Angeles but it’s anybody’s guess on whether they will take advantage.
Sean McVay’s high-octane offense has been sputtering lately with Jared Goff at the controls. He has an exceptional receiver trio in Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods and Brandin Cooks but Matt Ryan has done a better job this season in stretching the field. When you look at net yards per pass attempt, which takes sacks into account as attempts and subtracts sack yards from a quarterback’s passing yardage, Ryan is ninth in the NFL, Goff is eighteenth. Goff is also in the bottom third of the league in passer rating.
What this game comes down to for the Falcons is whether or not their defense shows up. The only time it has for a full game was in Week 2 against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Falcons defense has been sitting at five sacks for three weeks now. They will also be without starting cornerback Desmond Trufant for the second straight week.
Nostrathomas would really like to take the Falcons to win in this game but those who bet with their heart and not their head will find their bankrolls very thin by Sunday night. Until the Falcons come out for a game and play like they’re capable of, you cannot pick them to win or cover. Take the road favorites to do just that.
Los Angeles Rams 30 Atlanta Falcons 26
As for the other two games that you can add to your three-bet parlay:
San Francisco 49ers -9.5 at Washington Redskins (1 PM ET; FedEx Field, Washington D.C.)
The San Francisco 49ers have tough opponents coming up on their schedule that will confirm to NFL fans just how good they are this season. The Washington Redskins are not one of them.
Don’t think for a second that Kyle Shanahan hasn’t had this game circled on his calendar since the schedule was released. This is his first time back in Washington since he and his dad were bounced out of town after the 2013 season. There is also no category on Nostrathomas’ 26-line stat sheet that Washington does better than the 49ers. Take the Niners to crush Washington.
San Francisco 49ers 32 Washington Redskins 10
Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills, Under 41.5 (1 PM ET; New Era Field, Buffalo. NY)
The Bills are favored by 17 points in this game which is too much to comfortably expect them to cover, no matter how terrible Miami is. Look for Buffalo to jump out on top and grind the Dolphins down with their defense and running game. Don’t expect both of these teams to score more than the 41.5-point total.
