Falcons Seahawks Odds
Posted by Jimmy Boyd - Google+
The Atlanta Falcons (13-3) host the Seattle Seahawks (12-5) Sunday at 1:00 PM ET in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs. Oddsmakers have listed the Falcons as a 2.5-point favorite and have set the total at 45.5.
Why Atlanta Covers
The Falcons have been dominant at home where they are 7-1 this season. They are 33-8 in all home games the last five years.
Atlanta has had Seattle’s number. The Falcons are 3-0 in their last three against the Seahawks. They won 30-28 in Seattle in last season’s meeting.
The Falcons enter off a straight up and against the spread loss to Tampa Bay in their last game, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Consider that they are on an 18-4 against the spread run after one or more consecutive losses. They have won these contests by an average score of 30.3 to 18.7.
Atlanta is also on a 22-7 against the spread run after one or more consecutive losses against the number. It has won by an average score of 27.7 to 19.6 in this situation.
In addition, the Falcons have been extremely reliable in games oddsmakers expect to be close. They are on a 26-15 against the spread run in games when the line is +3.0 to -3.0 and have won these by an average score of 25.0 to 20.8.
It is also worth noting that Atlanta is 30-19 against the spread all-time under coach Mike Smith when laying points.
Why Seattle Covers
The Falcons have been consistently good in the regular season, posting a winning record each of the past five seasons. However, they haven’t experienced any success in the postseason during this stretch. They have gone 0-3 in playoff games during this span, losing all three by at least six points. They were blown out in the playoffs by the Green Bay Packers and the New York Giants the past two years.
Seattle has been an outstanding investment. It is 12-5 against the spread in all games this season and has covered the number in five of its last six.
The Seahawks have been impressive in the underdog role to say the least. They are 15-5 against the spread as an underdog over the last two seasons and have won these contests by an average score of 19.4 to 18.6.
There are a number of other rock solid trends in favor of Seattle. The Seahawks are 7-0 against the spread over the last two seasons versus good offensive teams that score 24.0 points or more per game. They have won these games by an average score of 25.3 to 17.4. The Seahawks are also 6-0 against the number the last two seasons versus good teams that outscore their opponents by 6.0 points or more per game. They have defeated these foes by an average score of 22.3 to 17.0.
Atlanta is one of the top passing teams in the NFL, but Seattle, which finished the regular season ranked sixth against the pass with 203.1 yards allowed per game, has had a great deal of success against good passing teams. In fact, it is on an 8-0 against the spread run versus good passing teams that average 7.0 or more passing yards per attempt.
It is also worth noting that the Seahawks are 6-0 against the spread this season when matched up against teams that have a winning record.
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