The NFC will see the first game of the divisional weekend, as the Atlanta Falcons are on the road at the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday. The winner of this game will go to the NFC title game. The Eagles would host either the Vikings or Saints, while the Falcons would play their third straight road game in the postseason.
The Philadelphia Eagles are the top seed in the NFC after winning 13 games in the regular season. The Eagles won the division by 4 games over the Dallas Cowboys, but struggled a bit down the stretch. The Eagles are without their starting quarterback Carson Wentz, and instead will use longtime backup Nick Foles to call the plays.
The Atlanta Falcons beat the Los Angeles Rams in the wildcard weekend 26-13. The Falcons are the defending NFC Champions, falling in Super Bowl 51 to the New England Patriots. Atlanta went 10-6 during the regular season, and finished one game behind the Saints and Panthers in the divisional race. The Atlanta Falcons are -3 over the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday.
Eagles Top Seed in NFC
The Philadelphia Eagles came into the postseason as the second highest scoring team in the NFC. The Eagles scored points like crazy with Wentz behind center. In the last two games for the Eagles both with Nick Foles as the starting quarterback, they are averaging just 7.5 points per game.
The Eagles defense finished 4th in the league in points allowed. The Eagles allowed opponents to score just 18.4 points per game. LeGarrette Blount and Jay Ajayi are the running backs for Philadelphia, and they have put together solid seasons. Blount led the Eagles with 766 yards. Zach Ertz was the top target in the pass game most of the season with 8 touchdowns.
Falcons Looking for Another Road Win
The Atlanta Falcons are known for their offense with Matt Ryan, DeVonta Freeman and Julio Jones, but the underrated part is their defense. The Falcons held the high scoring Rams to just 13 points last week, and all season, the Falcons allowed just 19.7 points per game, which was 8th in the league.
Julio Jones remains an elite receiver, despite his 4 regular season touchdowns. Jones finished with just shy of 1,500 receiving yards. Matt Ryan wrapped up another season as the Falcons quarterback and now has 100 wins in 10 seasons. Ryan tossed for nearly 4,100 yards a season ago.
Falcons Win on the Road
The Atlanta Falcons are on a mission to get back to the Super Bowl. The Falcons blew a 28-3 lead a season ago, and want to prove it was not a fluke and they belong. The Eagles just are not the same team without Carson Wentz. Look for the Atlanta defense to do a number on Foles and the Eagles. When you are betting this game on Saturday – take the Atlanta Falcons -3 over the Philadelphia Eagles. Bet on the Atlanta Falcons -3 over the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Divisional Round on Saturday.
