The Atlanta Falcons, reigning NFC Champions, open their 2017 season on the road in Chicago, Illinois, against the rebuilding Chicago Bears. The Falcons look to defend their NFC Conference crown as the Bears hope to turnaround their previous season’s futility. Kick off will be at 1 P.M. ET inside Soldier Field.
The visiting Atlanta Falcons are on a march back to the Super Bowl and it begins with their Week 1 match-up at Chicago. The Falcons, who lost their offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan to the 49ers, hope to see their offense soar like last season.
The Bears are looking to turnaround a fledgling franchise and hope that a retooled defense and new quarterbacks can be the answer to their woes. Count on the Bears to lean more on their run game during the first few weeks of the season until their quarterbacks show some consistency.
Opening lines saw Atlanta at -6.5 and the Over/Under at 50.5 points. Since then, the Falcons have become a steady -7 points favorite and the Over/Under has climbed to 51 total points.
It’s surprising that this spread isn’t higher than one touchdown with the disparity in talent between these two teams. Atlanta’s quarterback Matt Ryan might have lost his offensive coordinator, but he still has one of the best receivers in the game – Julio Jones. And, the Bears will have to double team Jones just to try and stop him, which will open up the field for other receivers and the ground game.
The Atlanta Falcons might just have the best rushing duo in the league with Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman. Both guys are starting caliber players who can make plays, break off long runs, and catch the ball out of the backfield. They’re difficult for linebackers to match up with and can break open a game. Just ask the Denver Broncos about their encounter with this duo last year. The combination of Coleman and Freeman totaled over 1,600 yards rushing, almost 900 yards receiving, and 24 total touchdowns in 2016.
For the Bears, they will be relying heavily on Jordan Howard to move the chains. In 2016, Howard finished with 1313 rushing yards on the season. He also added nearly 300 yards receiving. With Alshon Jeffery in an Eagles jersey, unproven receivers, and a new quarterback, look for the Falcons to stack the box, to limit Howard’s production and force the Bears to throw the ball. This will definitely play into Atlanta’s strength as they have a solid secondary and one of the best pass rushers in the league – Vic Beasley.
Look for the Atlanta Falcons offense to put up a ton of points on the scoreboard with the Bears struggling to keep pace. Don’t be surprised if this game is a blowout by half time as Chicago really doesn’t have the defense to slow down the Falcons, nor the offense to match Atlanta’s firepower.
The Falcons are 8-1 ATS in their last 9 road games, 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games on grass and 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games in September. The Bears are 0-7 ATS in their last seven September games and 0-3-1 ATS in their last 4 Week 1 games.