What: Atlanta Falcons vs. San Diego Chargers: Week 3 NFL Football
When: 4:05 pm EST. Sunday, September 23, 2012
Where: Qualcomm Stadium
The Atlanta Falcons 2-0 (2-0 ATS) and San Diego Chargers 2-0 (2-0 ATS) have been two of the best teams through the first two weeks of the season. This is one of the toughest games on the card this week, and it’s sure to draw a ton of action from handicappers.
Falcons vs. Chargers Betting Lines: Point Spread, Money Line & Over/Under
San Diego opened as a -1.5 point favorite earlier in the week and they’re now at -3 (-115) at BetOnline and Bovada. The over/under opened at 46 points and has been bet up to 47.5 points as of now, Friday @ 9:30pm EST. It could continue to rise over the next couple days, as both offenses are playing well. So, if you’re looking to bet the over, it’s probably best to do it right away. Depending on where it goes, it might be a good under bet on Sunday.
Atlanta Falcons San Diego Chargers |
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a talented team on both sides of the football and this game will be a good test on the road. Atlanta is a team that struggled on the road (3-5 ATS) last season, but they started off great in week 1 on the road against the Chiefs.
Last week, the Falcons beat the Broncos but they didn’t play well for the full game and it almost cost them late. Matt Ryan went 24/36 for 219 yards and 1 TD through the air, but the running game was disappointing for a 2nd straight week.
Atlanta has averaged 75.5 RYPG (26th) and 250 PYPG (12th) offensively. The reason for their early success is because they’ve put up an average of 33.5 PPG (3rd) due to the fact that the Falcons defense has averaged 3.5 takeaways per game in 2 weeks.
San Diego Chargers
San Diego is 2-0 to begin the year, but they’ve only beaten Oakland (0-2) and Tennessee (0-2). This is the Chargers first real test and it’ll be interesting to see how Phillip Rivers plays on Sunday. So far, Rivers has gone 48/65 for 515 yards, 4 TD’s and 1 INT in 2 games.
The Chargers defense has been stout early on as well. They currently rank 12th against the pass (225 PYPG), 1st against the rush (41.5 RYPG) and 2nd in points allowed per game (12 PPG). This week Ryan Matthews will be back as well.
Matthews has yet to play this year, but he’s expected to have a big season for the Chargers. The Chargers rushing attack is ranked 22nd (90 RYPG), but that should improve this week as the Falcons allowed 135 RYPG (25th) in their first two games. Atlanta will have a much better shot at winning this game if they can find a way to limit the Chargers running game.
Falcons/Chargers Point Spread
Both teams have looked great to begin the season. The Chargers are known to choke in bigger games like this and I think they’ll come out flatter than we’ve seen. Most expect Matthews to do great, but he’ll need a couple games to get going.
Falcons Point Spread
I’ll bet on the Falcons plus a field goal against most teams in the NFL. Although it’s a road game for them, I’m expecting San Diego to have a tougher day this Sunday.
At the time this article is being written, the Falcons point spread is +3 (-105) at BetOnline. That’s the bet I’m taking.
Chargers Point Spread
If you prefer San Diego in this game, the latest Chargers point spread is -3 (-115) at BetOnline and Bovada. Like I said above, I don’t expect the Chargers to win this game, and if they do, they have to win by a field goal just for a push. Against this Falcons offense, San Diego may have a tougher day than a lot of fans expect them to.
Atlanta Falcons vs. San Diego Chargers Money Line
Not only did I bet on the Falcons point spread, but I also bet a ½ unit on the Falcons money line on the road. Atlanta will play the full 60 minutes this week and if they keep winning the turnover battle it’ll be hard to beat this team.
Falcons Money Line
Right now, the best Falcons money line is +150 at BetOnline.com. Since I expect them to win this game outright, I’m loving this money line. It’ll be interesting to see the betting lines on this game move between now & game time, but I’m jumping on +150 right now, before it potentially goes away.
Chargers Money Line
The best Chargers money line is -165 at Bovada.lv. Since I expect them to lose this game, obviously I don’t like this bet.
Chargers vs. Falcons Over/Under
I’m not betting on the Chargers vs. Falcons over/under right now. The current O/U odds is 47.5 points, which puts me too close to pick a side. With the way the Falcons are getting turnovers on defense this game could easily go over. On the other hand, both teams could run the ball on Sunday and we could see a much closer, low scoring game. If we see any significant movement between now and Sunday, I may reconsider. I won’t bet the under unless we get to 49, and I won’t bet the over unless we go down to 46. I don’t expect either of these to happen, so I’ll likely be sitting out this time.