The last time these two teams met in 2004, the Atlanta Falcons demolished the Denver Broncos. Prior to that, Denver was 6-0 in this series dating all the way back to 1988. If you are planning on betting the Denver Broncos vs. Atlanta Falcons, keep in mind there really isn't a whole lot of recent historical stats for this series.
Odds opened at Falcons -5 and have been sitting around -6 and -6 ½ the last few days. BetUS.com
had Atlanta at -6 while betED.com had Denver at +6 ½. Pick your poison.
Rookie quarterback Matt Ryan continues to climb the steep NFL ladder.
In a showdown with New Orleans' Drew Brees, Ryan came away with the better overall game, and that bodes well for the Falcons down the stretch.
"We have to continue working the process," Falcons coach Mike Smith said. "We are a young football team. Our quarterback is maturing each week. As long as he continues to develop, we will continue to add to what we can do offensively."
Brees entered the game as the league's top passer but was intercepted three times in critical situations.
Ryan led a balanced Falcons attack that rushed for 113 yards and passed for 248 yards. The Broncos' running back situation is as bad as anyone could imagine.
Denver will likely go into its next game without its top four tailbacks. Michael Pittman and Andre Hall suffered season-ending injuries in Denver's Nov. 2 game against Miami.
Against Cleveland on Thursday, running back Ryan Torain suffered another stroke of bad luck with a knee injury that will likely keep him out the rest of the season.
"I don't know the extent exactly but Steve (Antonopulos, the Broncos' trainer) said it didn't look good," coach Mike Shanahan said right after the game.
Running back Selvin Young should come back at some point this season, but it's uncertain when. He missed a month with a groin injury and although he suited up against Cleveland, he wasn't healthy. After Torain was hurt, Young was hobbling badly and came out of the game. He missed the entire second half.
Gambling911.com will not be offering a prediction on this game due to the lack of historic data and the fact that both teams seem to be moving in opposite directions. But a few things to ponder nonetheless: The Broncos are 4-12 ATS in their last 16 road games. They are 5-17-1 ATS in their last 23 games following a Straight Up win and 0-6 ATS in their last 6 road games vs. a team with a winning home record. That's a pretty brutal record.
Dan Shapiro, Gambling911.com
