The New England Patriots (6-4, 4-0 away) and Atlanta Falcons (4-5, 1-3 home) face off in primetime in an interleague matchup on Thursday Night Football. Thursday’s contest is the first time these two teams face each other since 2017.
The kickoff for Thursday’s action is at 8:20 p.m. EST inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA. New England is a 7-point road favorite against the Falcons, and the over-under total is at 47 points.
What to Know – New England Patriots
New England can pick up their fifth straight win with a victory against the Falcons, keeping the Patriots within one game of the division-leading Buffalo Bills. The Patriots have won the last five meetings between these two franchises.
The Patriots’ offense averages 27.5 points and 371.2 yards of offense per game. New England’s defense is second in the league in scoring, holding opponents to 17.7 points per game and sixth in yards allowed at 328.0.
Rookie quarterback Mac Jones finished 19-of-23 for 198 yards and three touchdowns in last week’s thrashing of the Browns. Fellow rookie Rhamondre Stevenson added 20 carries for 100 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the ground.
The Patriots are 6-4 against the spread this season and 4-1 ATS over their last five games. On the road, New England is 3-1 ATS and 6-0 ATS in their last six matchups against Atlanta.
What to Know – Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta took a step back in the rebuilding of their franchise when they went to Dallas last week and had the doors blown off. The Falcons now face the task of putting that loss behind them and getting ready for another solid opponent on a short week. Atlanta sits in last place in the NFC South.
Offensively, Atlanta are in the bottom half of the league scoring 19.8 points per game and generating 324.1 yards of offense. The defense ranks second to last in scoring (29.2 ppg) and surrenders 368.3 yards.
The veteran quarterback would like to forget last week’s outing after completing 9-of-21 passes for 117 yards and a pair of interceptions. The star of the offense this season, Cordarrelle Patterson, was off to a solid start, carrying the ball four times for 25 yards and hauling one pass for 14 yards, but didn’t play a snap in the second half due to an ankle injury. If Patterson can’t go Thursday night, it’ll be a major blow to the Flacons’ offense.
Atlanta is 4-5 ATS this year and 1-3 ATS on their home turf. The Falcons are 6-1 ATS in their last seven against an AFC opponent and 2-4 ATS when playing the Patriots at home.
The Pick is In
A matchup of two teams that look to be going in the opposite directions. The Falcons looked awful on Sunday, and it’s hard to imagine a quick rebound for Atlanta. If Patterson can’t go, the Falcons will have a difficult time generating any kind of offense.
We will ride with the better team and better coach in a short week.
Betting Pick: New England Patriots -7
