Lions at Falcons NFL Betting Odds

Surprisingly, either the Detroit Lions or Atlanta Falcons are going to be undefeated after the first week of NFL betting odds. The two teams play at Atlanta Sunday, September 7th at 1:00pm EST on FOX and one of the two teams will start the season unbeaten. The Detroit Lions finished the 2007 season a disappointing 7-9 straight up and 6-9-1 against the NFL betting odds. Quarterback Jon Kitna virtually guaranteed that the Lions would win 10 games last season but it didn’t happen.

He has been saying the same things again this season. The Lions will look to run the ball more now that offensive coordinator Mike Martz is gone and turn to Tatum Bell and rookie Kevin Smith in the backfield. That is not to say the Lions won’t throw the ball this season because they will. They have two excellent receivers in Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson. The defense was a major problem again last season for Detroit. They ranked dead last in NFL odds yards and points allowed per game. While Kitna and the offense may put up points, the defense is likely to give up even more.

Sportsbooks have the Lions +3000 in NFL odds to win the NFC while the Falcons are +9000 and Jon Kitna is +4000 in NFL odds to win the MVP award. Atlanta was one of the worst teams in the NFL last season as they went 4-12 straight up and 8-8 against the NFL betting odds. Atlanta ranked 23rd overall in the NFL in offense and 29th overall in defense. The Falcons made some changes in the off-season including drafting quarterback Matt Ryan out of Boston College with their first round pick. Ryan is expected to have the starting quarterback job sometime this season, if not right away.

The Falcons also signed running back Michael Turner to a big contract. Turner was LaDainian Tomlinson’s backup in San Diego last year. The Falcons did lose running back Warrick Dunn, tight end Alge Crumpler and cornerback DeAngelo Hall in the off-season. Atlanta is going to have some growing pains this season but with Ryan at quarterback and a lot of youth on both sides of the ball, at least the Falcons are moving in the right direction. NFL betting stats show that the Lions are 2-6 ATS in their last eight games on the road. Atlanta is 2-5 against the NFL odds in their last seven games as a home underdog. The two teams have met four times in the last seven years with each team winning twice. In Atlanta the teams have split with the last meeting in Atlanta in 2004 as the Lions won 17-10.

Lions at Falcons Week 1 Betting Prediction

This will be one of those games on the week 1 NFL schedule that you will want to stay away from. It is unclear what both teams will bring this season and with a 3 point line, there is no real value in betting this game. If you are from the "motor city" or "hotlanta" and simply must bet something, then take a look at the under as this game is expected to be a barn burner.