Washington Football Team at Atlanta Falcons: Betting Guide
The Washington Football Team barely beat the woeful New York Giants in Week 2. The Atlanta Falcons’ only win of the season is also against the Giants.
These teams meet in Week 4 and with each having losing records, they both have a lot to prove. Which side is the best option for NFL game betting?
Game: Washington (1-2) at Falcons (1-2)
Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, GA) Time: 1 p.m. ET Television: FOX |
Betting Lines
Team | Point Spread | Moneyline | Over/Under | Team Total |
Washington | -1.5 | -120 | 48 | 24½ |
Atlanta | +1.5 | +100 | 48 | 23 |
Head-to-Head
The last time these teams met was in 2018. Atlanta defeated Washington, 38-14.
Washington Football Team
Next game: vs. Saints
Last Game
The outlook for Washington is grim after the Buffalo Bills posted 43 points on Coach Ron Rivera’s group. It is expected that Washington’s offense will struggle under backup quarterback Taylor Heinicke, who has been pressed into service due to the injury to Week 1 starter Ryan Fitzpatrick. However, the defense was supposed to be the anchor of this team, the thing Washington and Rivera could rely on when the offense struggled.
That has not been the case so far. Washington played a solid game in Week 1 against Justin Herbert, holding the Chargers under 24 points and being legitimately competitive. However, the Washington defense has since allowed Daniel Jones of the New York Giants to move the ball with relative consistency. This past weekend, the Football Team was ripped by Josh Allen of the Bills to the tune of 43 points. Chase Young and the rest of a promising, talented pass rush unit have not been able to get home to the quarterback.
Washington is 0-3 against the spread this season and 2-1 in over-unders.
Injury Report
The Washington injury report has injuries to a lot of high-profile players. Running back Antonio Gibson is questionable, Guard Brandon Scherff, one of the best guards in the league, is questionable. Defensive back Benjamin St-Juste is questionable. Curtis Samuel, one of the team’s biggest and most important offseason acquisitions, is questionable. Backup quarterback Kyle Allen is questionable. Defensive tackle Matt Ioannidis is questionable. All these injuries are added to the injury suffered by original opening day starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who is out indefinitely.
Atlanta Falcons
Next game: vs. Jets
Last Game
The Falcons played an ugly game against the New York Giants. Their offense sputtered for nearly the whole contest, but it came alive late to tie the Giants and then win. The Falcons have refused to engage in a full-on rebuild and it seems that approach has been a disaster.
The Falcons are old and stale at a lot of positions, and quarterback Matt Ryan seems to be in his twilight. A 17-14 win over the Giants is better than a loss, but those who bet online know that it doesn’t point to any long-term improvement or a sustained turnaround for the Falcons. They have not played well in any of their three games this season. They won this most recent game only because the Giants managed to be worse.
First-year head coach Arthur Smith is presiding over an offense that is averaging 16 points per game and he’s supposed to be an offensive guru. Given that Smith had a lot of success running the Tennessee Titans’ offense the past few years as a coordinator under Mike Vrabel, that has to rate as a massive disappointment.
Injury Report
Cornerback A.J. Terrell is probable. Defensive back Kendall Sheffield is questionable. Safety Erik Harris is questionable. Guard Colby Gossett is questionable. Offensive lineman Josh Andrews is questionable. Wide receiver Frank Darby is questionable. Receiver Russell Gage is questionable. Defensive lineman Marlon Davidson is questionable.
Betting on the Game
Moneyline
The spread is small, so the moneyline doesn’t carry a lot more value than the point spread here. Either for the moneyline or the spread, you are almost certainly going to pick an outright winner here if you are going to win a bet.
The only way you can “middle” this bet and win it on both sides is if you pick Washington on the moneyline and the Falcons against the spread, and Washington wins by exactly one point. That’s a very narrow window. For all intents and purposes, this is a pick’em game without the pick’em spread. Given that both teams are hugely struggling, staying away might be the best choice for NFL predictions.
Point Spread
The point spread gives you little from which to choose. Let’s discuss who will win. Atlanta was blown out by the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1, and the Eagles aren’t good. They seem to be headed for a losing season.
On the other hand, Washington – which is probably a better team – is carrying so many significant injuries that Atlanta might be catching the WFT at the right time. Ultimately, you will want to decide on this game only when you know which Washington players are and aren’t playing. That is the big key here.
Over/Under
The 49.5 number seems high. Atlanta hasn’t scored more than 25 points in a game this season and, as we mentioned above, is averaging 16 per game. The Washington offense is averaging under 23 points per game. Neither defense is playing especially well, but these offenses are not in a position to make the defenses pay a steep price. The under is the best play to make in this game.