The 2019 season was a rollercoaster for the Atlanta Falcons as they were really two different teams when you slice the year in half. Prior to the Week 9 bye, they were a 1-7 squad, seemingly on the brink of firing head coach Dan Quinn. Coming out of the week-long break, Atlanta was able to win six of their last eight to finish tied for second in the NFC South at 7-9.
As the club now turns the page to 2020, they'll be looking for more consistency and resemble the team that finished the year on a four-game winning streak. According to the latest odds from William Hill Sports Book, the Falcons have an over/under win total of 7.5 and own the third-best odds (+600) to win the NFC South. Below, you'll see a full breakdown of the Falcons' regular-season games, complete with over/under win totals for every opponent (courtesy of William Hill) and the lines for Week 1 and Week 2.
Week 1 vs. Seahawks
Line: Seahawks -1
Opponent win total: O/U 9.5
Prediction: The Seahawks come into Atlanta and this game does turn into a bit of a high-flying affair. Matt Ryan is able to slice up Seattle's secondary and newly-signed running back Todd Gurley even finds the end zone as a pass-catcher. That said, the Falcons secondary also has its own problems as Russell Wilson hits both D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett on a number of deep balls en route to victory. Seahawks win 24-20.
Projected record: 0-1
Week 2 at Cowboys
Line: Cowboys -7
Opponent win total: O/U 9.5
Prediction: Assuming Dak Prescott is either playing under the tag or has signed a longterm extension, the Cowboys should be able to outgun the Falcons in this game with their high-octane offense, headlined by Amari Cooper, Ezekiel Elliott, Michael Gallup and first-round receiver CeeDee Lamb. Matt Ryan's weapons of Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley and others will put up a worthy fight in Jerry World, but it simply won't be enough especially after rookie corner Trevon Diggs picks off Ryan and takes it to the house for six. Cowboys win 33-30.
Projected record: 0-2
Week 3 vs. Bears
Opponent win total: O/U 8
Prediction: Chicago will still be working through its quarterback situation at this point in the year, which will make them pretty vulnerable in the early weeks of the season. I expect Atlanta to go up early thanks to disarray in the Bears passing game and it's Todd Gurley who dominates on the ground in the second half, helping the Falcons control the clock en route to a W. Falcons win 24-16.
Projected record: 1-2
Week 4 at Packers
Opponent win total: O/U 9
Prediction: After the Packers drafted quarterback Jordan Love in the first round earlier this offseason, Aaron Rodgers is probably going to come into the 2020 regular season with his helmet on fire. Over the first month, I'd expect the Packers signal-caller to be at the forefront of the MVP conversation with his play, which will come to the dismay of the Falcons on Monday Night Football. Rodgers will use his go-to weapon in Davante Adams to breeze through the Atlanta secondary -- which averaged 244.9 passing yards per game in 2019 -- in the early stages, while Aaron Jones will milk the clock in the second half to clinch the win. Packers win 26-14.
Projected record: 1-3
Week 5 vs. Panthers
Opponent win total: O/U 5.5
Prediction: The bad news for the Falcons is that Tom Brady decided to join the Buccaneers, making the NFC South that much more difficult. The good news is that they'll still square off against the Carolina Panthers, a division rival in the thick of its rebuild with first-year head coach Matt Rhule, twice over the course of the year. Christian McCaffrey will be a handful for Atlanta as he is for every defense in the league, but he won't be nearly enough to keep pace with Matt Ryan here. Ryan and Calvin Ridley connect for two touchdowns on the day in what will be his cleanest outing of the year to this point. Falcons win 20-10.
Projected record: 2-3
Week 6 at Vikings
Opponent win total: O/U 9
Prediction: Whether there are fans in the stands or not, the Falcons heading into Minnesota will be a daunting task. The Vikings ranked as the seventh-best defense in 2019 in DVOA and should continue to be a dominant unit heading into next season. Atlanta will see a down game from Matt Ryan because of that Minnesota pass rush and the offense will remain lukewarm for the entire game. Meanwhile, Dalvin Cook is the story offensively for the Vikings. The Falcons can't find an answer for the Minnesota back on the ground or in the passing game. Vikings win 17-10.
Projected record: 2-4
Week 7 vs. Lions
Opponent win total: O/U 6.5
Prediction: Atlanta lets this game slip through its fingers. Julio Jones and Matt Ryan are able to connect on a number of huge plays over the course of the afternoon and are seemingly in the driver's seat most of the day. But, that duo is outdone by Matthew Stafford and Kenny Golladay, who score the go-ahead touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Lions win 27-20.
Projected record: 2-5
Week 8 at Panthers
Opponent win total: O/U 5.5
Prediction: After back-to-back losses to NFC North squads, the Falcons are more than happy to roll into Carolina to face the Panthers. This contest proves to be a bit more difficult for Atlanta than their Week 5 matchup, however, as Teddy Bridgewater turns in a rather efficient outing under center. Rookie defensive tackle Derrick Brown makes life difficult for Matt Ryan, crashing through the middle of the offensive line, but Julio Jones flips his GOAT-switch on and hauls in two touchdowns. Falcons win 21-17.
Projected record: 3-5
Week 9 vs. Broncos
Opponent win total: O/U 7.5
Prediction: The Broncos loaded up on offensive weapons for second-year quarterback Drew Lock this offseason, but experience will play large in this shootout with Matt Ryan and his collection of pass-catcher coming out on top. Offseason acquisition Hayden Hurst will be Ryan's go-to target in this game, with the tight end hauling in all of his six targets and a touchdown. Atlanta can feel good heading into the bye week on a solid two-game winning streak. Falcons win 27-24.
Projected record: 4-5
Week 11 at Saints
Opponent win total: O/U 10.5
Prediction: Atlanta doesn't have an easy landing spot coming out of the bye at all as they'll have to go into New Orleans to take on Drew Brees and the Saints. Their NFC South rivals are in the thick of the division race with the Buccaneers and vying for top seeding in the conference, so they won't be taking this game lightly. Michael Thomas continues to pile up the receptions, but Emmanuel Sanders is the Saints receiver that throws down the knockout blows, catching two deep touchdowns from Brees. Offensively, Julio Jones is swallowed up by Saints corner Marshon Lattimore, while Calvin Ridley can't separate enough to carry the rest of the Falcons offense. Saints win 30-17.
Projected record: 4-6
Week 12 vs. Raiders
Opponent win total: O/U 7.5
Prediction: Raiders running back Josh Jacobs will give the Falcons run defense problems, but Las Vegas is going to be pretty gassed in this game following an interdivisional battle with the Chiefs the week prior. This gives Matt Ryan and the Falcons offense the opportunity to jump on Vegas early and hang onto the lead for the bulk of the game. Todd Gurley doesn't pile up huge yardage totals like Jacobs in this game but does punch in the dagger touchdown late from inside the 5-yard line. Falcons win 24-14.
Projected record: 5-6
Week 13 vs. Saints
Opponent win total: O/U 10.5
Prediction: Even away from the Superdome, the Saints are still a force and are simply the better team when compared to Atlanta. This game does have the opportunity to be extremely high-scoring as both offenses have a number of playmakers that could go off at any moment. In the end, future Hall of Famer Drew Brees is able to throw his way to another win, keeping pace with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the division. Saints win 30-24.
Projected record: 5-7
Week 14 at Chargers
Opponent win total: O/U 7.5
Prediction: Atlanta's secondary highlighted by rookie corner A.J. Terrell should do enough to contain fellow first-round pick in Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert. Matt Ryan will have some trouble against the L.A. pass rush of Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram, but he's able to get the ball out quickly and completed a couple of clutch passes to Calvin Ridley. Falcons win 26-13.
Projected record: 6-7
Week 15 vs. Buccaneers
Opponent win total: O/U 9.5
Prediction: The Falcons have to wait until Week 15 to get their first look at Tom Brady with his new Buccaneers squad and, once this game is all said and done, they'll be wishing they had an even longer wait. Brady and company will still be duking it out with the Saints for the division lead, making this game with the Falcons extremely important. Given those added stakes, Tampa wastes no time lighting up the scoreboard as Brady and Chris Godwin are surgical, moving the Bucs up and down the field. Buccaneers win 27-17.
Projected record: 6-8
Week 16 at Chiefs
Opponent win total: O/U 11.5
Prediction: The Falcons are simply looking towards the offseason at this point, looking up to both the Saints and Buccaneers in the division, and they get a buzzsaw opponent in the Chiefs, who are still fighting for playoff positioning themselves. Matt Ryan is able to complete two early touchdowns to spark the brief thought of a potential upset, but Patrick Mahomes makes quick work to dispel that notion with a deep touchdown bomb to Mecole Hardman. Chiefs win 24-17.
Projected record: 6-9
Week 17 at Buccaneers
Opponent win total: O/U 9.5
Prediction: With Tampa's playoff position already set that this point, Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians decides to rest most of his primary starters, giving the Falcons a rather easy path to end the 2020 season on a high note. Matt Ryan and Julio Jones connect for a deep touchdown, while Todd Gurley rushes for over a hundred yards. The W doesn't really mean all too much, but it does keep Atlanta from losing double-digit games on the year. Falcons win 23-10.
Projected record: 7-9
https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/falcons-2020-schedule-predicting-every-game-week-by-week-odds-matchups-projections/
2020-05-30 16:03:28Z
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