Packers vs Falcons Betting Line & Point Spread

The 1st NFC divisional game is being played this Saturday at 8pm EST at the Georgia Dome. The Atlanta Falcons have been unstoppable at home this season, but they’re in for a tough challenge against the Green Bay Packers. These two teams met once in the 2010-2011 NFL season and the Falcons won the game 20-17 on a last minute field goal at home. Green Bay led in almost every stat during the game, but they were unable to come out with a victory.

Packers vs Falcons Point Spread & Betting Line

Unlike the other games this weekend, we actually have some variation in the odds for the Packers vs Falcons game. If you’re betting the point spread, you can get or give anywhere from 1.5 – 3 points.

To bet on the Packers/Falcons money line, you can get Falcons -125 at BetOnline or Bookmaker.com. For the Packers, the best money line is at BetUS, at +115.

For over/under bets, the best place to take the over is at BetOnline, where the O/U is set at 43. For the under, go to Bodog.com where the O/U is at 44.

Green Bay Packers vs Atlanta Falcons Analysis

Atlanta went 7-1 at home in the 2010 – 2011 regular season and their only loss at the Georgia Dome came in week 16 against the Saints when a win didn’t mean much. For some reason, the Atlanta Falcons and Matt Ryan always find a way to win at home and I have a feeling that they’ll win this game as well, but they have to watch out for several things. Atlanta has a more balanced offense than the Packers this season, although the Packers proved they aren’t one-dimensional last week.

Green Bay relied heavily on their passing game this season and they ended up with the 5th best passing offense after averaging 257.8 passing YPG during the regular season. They only averaged 100.4 rushing YPG on the season though, which was only good for 24th best in the league. With that said, the running game didn’t affect the Packers offense much this season, as they still managed to average 24.2 PPG, 10th best in the NFL.

Matt Ryan didn’t put up the numbers that Aaron Rodgers did this season, but that’s partly because the Falcons have such a good running game worked into their offensive scheme. Atlanta averaged 222.9 passing YPG this season (15th) and 118.2 rushing YPG (12th). The more balanced Falcons offense was able to average 25.9 PPG (5th), which is slightly better than the Packers were able to average.

Green Bay has a stronger overall defense than the Falcons, but both teams struggle in certain categories. The Packers give up an average of 114.9 rushing YPG (18th) while the Falcons gave up an average of 226.2 passing YPG (22nd). Rodgers should be able to take advantage of the Falcons weak secondary in this game. However, I also expect Michael Turner and Jason Snelling to be able to gain a lot of yards on the ground against the Packers front seven.

Green Bay Packers vs Atlanta Falcons Key Match-Ups

Packers Rushing Defense vs Falcons Passing Defense

In the 2010-2011 regular season, both defenses have struggled different areas. The Packers have the 5th best passing defense, but they struggle stopping the run. Atlanta on the other hand has been able to put up a top 10 rushing defense, but they haven’t been able to stop teams from airing it out against them. I have a feeling whichever team wins this battle will win the game. If Green Bay can stop Turner and Snelling from tearing it up they’ll have a great chance at upsetting the Falcons. If Atlanta wants to win this game they need to focus on stopping Rodgers and not worry as much about the Packers recent success running the ball.

Interceptions

I have a feeling that the interception battle could play a huge role in this game as well. Atlanta ended the season with 22 INT’s, which was the 4th most in the NFL. Green Bay on the other hand did even better and picked off the opposing QB’s a total of 24 times this season, good for 2nd in the NFL. Both teams are capable of picking the ball off on any throw down the field and it should be interesting to see if the team that wins the INT battle ends up winning the game.

Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons Playoff Prediction

This game couldn’t get any closer and it could go either way. There are so many factors in an NFL football game and when both teams match up on paper as evenly as these two teams, it’s hard to predict a winner. I find it extremely difficult to bet against the Falcons and Matty “Ice” Ryan when playing at the Georgia Dome and I’m not going too in this game. The spread opened at –1 for the Falcons and has been on the way up so you might want to lock in your wager right now while the spread is below a field goal.

We’re going with the Falcons -2 (-105) at Sportsbook.com. For the over/under, we’re taking the under (44) at Bodog.com.

Packers & Falcons 2011 NFL Playoff Road

Atlanta went 13-3 during the regular season this year and won the NFC South Division easily. Since they won their division this year they earned a bye last week and were able to rest. Green Bay on the other hand had to travel to Philadelphia last week for the wild card round. The Packers ended up winning the game 21-16 last week against the Eagles, but it took a lot of energy out of them, which could prove to be fatal this week, as they need to travel to Atlanta for another road game in less than a week.

*Visit the Sports Betting Lines homepage for more playoff previews & predictions.