The NFL is back for the 2024/25 season and this week we’ll see two teams with differing fortunes last year and to begin this year as the Philadelphia Eagles host the Atlanta Falcons in week 2.
The Eagles started the season with a big win over the Green Bay Packers in Brazil, while the Falcons suffered defeat at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and both teams will want to claim victory on the biggest stage on Monday Night Football.
We’ll take a look at the two teams and provide you with our best free NFL betting picks to try and earn you some extra cash while you enjoy the action on the field.
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Pre-season is a period for coaches to implement their ideas and for players to gain fitness and match sharpness after a period of time off, so results are not always the most important thing.
However, Falcons fans will no doubt be worried by their showings so far in the early part of the season. Their pre-season started with a 20-13 defeat to the Miami Dolphins, before a super close loss to the Baltimore Ravens in a one-point game. They ended pre-season with a blowout loss though, getting blasted 31-0 by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Still, they went into their opening NFL game at home with confidence and led 10-9 at half-time against the Steelers. But a poor second half saw them fail to score a point and they fell to an 18-10 defeat.
Philadelphia on the other hand have had a much more positive time so far in their preparations for this season.
The Eagles claimed a 16-13 win over the Baltimore Ravens in their first pre-season game, before a close 14-13 win over the New England Patriots in their next outing. Their final pre-season game wasn’t so successful though, as they were well beaten 26-3 by the Minnesota Vikings.
They then opened their NFL season against the Green Bay Packers in an international game in Sao Paulo, Brazil. In a high-scoring game Jalen Hurts threw two touchdowns and two interceptions to help the team come from behind in the second half and earn a 34-29 win.
The Falcons had their moments in Week 1, but it looks like another tough season is on the way. Quarterback Kirk Cousins didn’t look like himself in his first game with a new team and after his achilles surgery.
Unfortunately for the Falcons, it won’t get any easier as they come up against a fit and firing Eagles side. Philadelphia’s offense was in great form with former Giants RB Saquon Barkley, who scored three of the team’s four touchdowns. The Steelers didn’t have any trouble establishing the run against Atlanta, and the Eagles shouldn’t either.
It isn’t time to sound the alarm just yet on Cousins, but if things don’t go well this week then there will be more clamour for rookie QB Michael Penix Jr. to come into the team.
The Falcons will be worth fading until they get their act together. This team doesn’t look great on either side of the ball, and even with some progress in Week 2, they’re likely to fall short of covering as 6.5-point underdogs in Philadelphia.
The Eagles faded away in the back-end of last season but they’ve started this year well and are scoring points, so back them to win by at least one touchdown.
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During the regular season last year, the Eagles scored 20-plus points in all but five games. Philadelphia’s offense has improved since then, so notching at least 20 against Atlanta shouldn’t be an issue.
The Falcons were among the NFL’s worst offensive teams in 2023, but they are stronger than last year and despite a slow start to the season they will get opportunities against an open Eagles defense. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see both team score 20+ points in this game as a result.
If that happens, then you’re essentially backing the spread bet once again. Barkley is thriving in Philadelphia, and Hurts still has plenty of other weapons at his disposal. They can easily hit the 30-point mark themselves for a second week running which will go a long way to hitting the overs total.
At -110, it’s a great value bet to lead with for the Monday Night Football.
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About the Author
Daniel is a football writer who has a great thirst for the Premier League and other major European leagues. A lover of the beautiful game and a firm believer that the eye test is better than statistics. Also an avid MMA fan.
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