NFL Week 8 continues on Sunday and we will see the Atlanta Falcons travel to Philadelphia to take on the Philadelphia Eagles. The game is scheduled for a 1:00 PM (Eastern) start time and it will be televised live on FOX. Currently the odds for the game have Philadelphia favored by 3 points while the total sits at 42.5. Currently 61% of the Public is on Atlanta, while 62% is on the Over. Find out what side the Public is taking on all the games by clicking HERE.
Free Analysis: Atlanta is off to its best start at 6-0, but there are some out there who believe the Falcons haven't proved anything. Well, they won at a hostile Arrowhead Stadium in Week 1, literally picked apart Peyton Manning and the Broncos, blasted the Chargers on the road and squeezed out a close win over Carolina. Wins over RGIII and the Raiders ensued for Atlanta, which now faces a trio of tests against Philadelphia, Dallas and New Orleans. Atlanta has played well in October under Smith, going 12-4, and is 3-1 after the bye under this current regime. That lone loss came against the Eagles back in 2008. Smith can tie Dan Reeves with a win Sunday. Reeves went 49-59-1 as Falcons head coach from 1997-03. Ryan has done a phenomenal job using his top three receivers who each have 4 TD catches for the season, WR Roddy White (553 rec yds), TE Tony Gonzalez (430 rec yds) and WR Julio Jones (376 rec yds). The Falcons running game has been dreadful in 2012, with the fourth-fewest rushing yards in the NFL (87 rush YPG). Leading rusher Michael Turner has just 100 rushing yards on 29 carries (3.4 YPC) in the past two games. Defensively, the potential absence of CB Asante Samuel (foot), who played with the Eagles last year, could really hurt Atlanta's 12th-ranked pass defense going up against a talented receiving corps. The Falcons will also have a hard time stopping LeSean McCoy on the ground, considering they allow the fifth-most rushing yards in the NFL (144 rush YPG). Atlanta is adept at creating turnovers though, as its 17 takeaways rank fourth in the NFL.
The Eagles are an incredible 13-0 SU coming off a bye week under Andy Reid. Vick started against his old team for the first time last year, but left the game in the third quarter after suffering a concussion from a big hit. He finished that matchup 19-for-28 for 242 yards, 2 TD and 1 INT, while adding 25 rushing yards on six carries. Like most players, Vick is much more comfortable at home, completing 65% of his passes for 923 yards, 4 TD and 4 INT, plus another 142 yards on the ground in three games in Philly. Considering how poorly Atlanta defends the run, Vick will probably use his legs much more than he did last year. That also means a heavy dose of LeSean McCoy, who gained 116 total yards with a pair of second-half touchdown runs against the Falcons last year. McCoy had a horrible game before the bye week, gaining just 22 yards on 14 carries, plus 26 yards on seven catches. He has been playing on an injured ankle, and some of his offensive linemen have also been banged up, but the whole group will be healthier coming off the bye. Turnovers are the difference. Philadelphia’s minus-9 differential is at the bottom of the pack. The Philadelphia Eagles had the bye week to get acquainted with a new defensive coordinator. Despite the firing of Castillo, and subsequent promotion of secondary coach Todd Bowles, the Eagles defense hasn't been terrible, ranking 15th in passing yards (226 YPG) and 14th against the run (105 YPG). The biggest problem has been the lack of turnovers, as Philly has just two takeaways in the past four games. Some of that also stems from a weak pass rush that has tallied just seven sacks all year.
Free Pick: Im gonna go with the Eagles in this one. This is a really good spot for them to get back on track. I feel the change on defense will energize this group a bit. Philly hasn’t been too bad defensively but they have blown some 4th quarter leads and that is the main reason for the change. Atlanta can’t run the ball (28th) and that should allow this very talented Eagle secondary to clamp down on a very good Atlanta passing game. Really the Falcons havn’t faced a good defense this year and I expect them to have a tough time moving the ball on this Eagles defense that has had a week to get used to the schemes that Todd Bowles will employ. Another advantage there is that the Eagles knowq what they will run, but Atlanta has no clue what’s coming. On offense the Eagles should be able to move the ball and I feel that after the Bye they will start to cut down on their mistakes. The Atlanta defense has been poor vs the run (143 ypg, 5.2 ypc) and that should allow Vick and McCoy do some damage, which will then open up the throwing lanes for this talent WR corps to get some big plays downfield. Andy Reid has worked some magic after a Bye and I feel he will do so again hrere. Atlanta loses first game of the year in this one. POWER ANGLE FOR THIS PLAY--- Play on any home favorite if both teams are off a Bye week. Teams in this spot are 15-3 ATS since 2001 and have outscored their opponents by 13 ppg.
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NFL Free Picks: Atlanta Falcons at Philadelphia Eagles Betting
What pro football bettors need to know about Atlanta Falcons at Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday (10/28/12) - a free pick from Pregame.com's Vegas Runner, with Chuck Edel and host Chris Andrews.