The NFL betting spread say that the Atlanta Falcons are three-point favorites against the Dallas Cowboys, but that, of course, is on paper, and things can, on the gridiron, go terribly wrong. Chances are you won’t the Falcons as one half of an NFL Superbowl line if wide receiver Julio Jones keeps Flair-flopping in the end zone. Then again, what are the odds of that happening again? Then again again, what were the odds of it happening the first time?
#dotheJulio pic.twitter.com/RSZrZv1td2
— Just Dee…25 Points (@SaintsSoulja) November 6, 2017
- Date: Sunday, 12th November
- Time: 4:30 PM
- Venue: Mercedes-Benz Stadium
- Sportsbook NFL odds:
Cowboys +3 (-117) 50½ (-110)
Falcons -3 (-103) 50½ (-110)
Have the Falcons jumped the Sark?
The Falcons have lost four of their last five games and are currently on a five-game ATS losing streak. All fingers are firmly pointed at offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, which must be tough on him since he’s accustomed to just two fingers of distilled fermented grain mash. Let’s take for instance Matt Ryan; who completed 193 of 279 passes for 2,636 yards with 19 touchdowns, four interceptions and a passer rating of 115.8 in the first eight games of 2016, compared to 177 of 270 for 2,157 yards with 11 touchdowns, seven interceptions and a passer rating of 92.8. That could be on Ryan as easily as it could be on the Sark, but why blame the beloved quarterback when we can blame the Johnny-come-lately calling offensive plays? “The ball has been moved up and down the field,” Ryan said. “The issue is more with when we’ve had our chances, when we’ve had those scoring opportunities, those chances to stick the dagger in them, we just haven’t done it.” coughJulio Jonescough. Atlanta has scored 17 or fewer points in four of the last five, and the total, as seen in the NFL betting spread, has duly gone under on each of those occasions.
28 points later
And speaking of the total, the Cowboys have scored, for just the second time in franchise history, at least 28 in six straight games, but it’s only when they score more (30 against the Rams, 31 against the Packers, 40 against the 49ers, 33 against the Redskins) that the total has gone over. On the two instances that they’ve scored just the 28 points during that period, the total has gone under, versus the Cardinals and the Chiefs. Dallas is 4-2 SU and ATS during that stretch, including winning and covering in their last three straight. The Cowboys won’t have it easy topping the 2007 team, especially against a Falcons defense that has not allowed more than 26 points in a game this year. So the 28-point streak may be snapped, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the SU and ATS streak will be as well. The Cowboys are 4-1 ATS in their last five games in November, 22-8 ATS in their last 30 on grass, and 8-3 ATS in their last 11 in Week 10, while the Falcons are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 playing NFC teams, 2-6 ATS in their last eight games in November and 0-5 against the NFL betting spread in their last five overall.