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This Atlanta Falcons NFL season preview for the 2010 – 2011 period comes to us from the fine folks at Sportsbook.com. This is Carrie Stroup reporting for Gambling911.com.
The Falcons just missed out on the playoffs last year after making the postseason in 2008. Atlanta fans shouldn’t be too concerned as the Falcons have plenty of talent to get them back to the playoffs. With some nice young talent on the offensive side of the ball, all eyes are focused on a deep playoff run in Atlanta.
2009 Record: 9-7 (+2.6 ML Units), 11-5 ATS
Sportsbook.comAssorted Arizona Cardinals Odds
Odds to win Super Bowl XLV: +3000
Odds to win NFC Title: +1300
Odds to win NFC South: +175
Over/Under Regular Season Wins: 9
NFL MVP: Matt Ryan +3000, Michael Turner +4000
Most NFL Passing Yards: Matt Ryan +3000
Most NFL Rushing Yards: Michael Turner +1000
Most NFL Receiving Yards: Roddy White +2000
SITUATIONAL RECORDS
Scenario: 2009 ~ 3-YR TOTAL
Straight Up: 9-7 ~ 24-25 (49%)
ATS: 11-5 ~ 27-21 (56%)
Preseason ATS: 2-1 ~ 8-3 (73%)
Home ATS: 6-2 ~ 14-10 (58%)
Road ATS: 5-3 ~ 13-11 (54%)
Division ATS: 4-2 ~ 8-10 (44%)
Conference ATS: 8-4 ~ 19-18 (51%)
Favorite ATS: 6-2 ~ 10-5 (67%)
Underdog ATS: 4-3 ~ 16-16 (50%)
Over-Under: 7-9 ~ 24-25 (49%)
2009 Key Team Stats & NFL Ranks
Scoring Differential: +2.4 (#15 of 32)
Yardage Differential: -8.5 (#19 of 32)
Yards Per Play Differential: -0.4 (#24 of 32)
Yards Per Point Differential: +2.19 (#9 of 32)
Turnover Differential: </b>+3 (#11 of 32)
Total Offense (Yards Per Game): 340.4 (#16 of 32)
Total Defense (Yards Per Game): 348.9 (#20 of 32)
2010 SCHEDULE: Strength - 20.69 (16th toughest of 32)
DATE - OPPONENT, TIME
9/12/10 - at Pittsburgh, 1:00 PM
9/19/10 - ARIZONA, 1:00 PM
9/26/10 - at New Orleans, 1:00 PM
10/3/10 - SAN FRANCISCO, 1:00 PM
10/10/10 - at Cleveland, 1:00 PM
10/17/10 - at Philadelphia, 1:00 PM
10/24/10 - CINCINNATI, 1:00 PM
11/7/10 - TAMPA BAY, 1:00 PM
11/14/10 - BALTIMORE, 1:00 PM
11/21/10 - at St Louis, 4:05 PM
11/28/10 - GREEN BAY, 1:00 PM
12/5/10 - at Tampa Bay, 1:00 PM
12/12/10 - at Carolina, 1:00 PM
12/19/10 - at Seattle, 4:05 PM
12/27/10 - NEW ORLEANS, 8:30 PM
1/2/11 - CAROLINA, 1:00 PM
Key Falcons Betting Trend:
ATLANTA is on a 2-14 ATS (-13.4 Units) skid at home vs. poor passing defenses - allowing a comp. pct. of 61% or worse. The Average Score was ATLANTA 20.3, OPPONENT 24.9
2010 OUTLOOK
Even though the Falcons missed the playoffs in 2009, for the first time in franchise history they were able to accumulate a winning record two season in a row.
Battling a toe injury Ryan threw more touchdowns in his second season (22-to-16) in two fewer games, but he also tossed three more interceptions (14-to-11) and saw his completion percentage drop almost three points and dip below 60%. Odds are most of the slight drops will be fixed simply by a healthy Michael Turner stepping back into the huddle. The offense averaged 25.3 points in eight games with a healthy Turner and 20.1 in eight without.
Ryan has no shortage of weapons, led by Turner and WR Roddy White, in the midst of an impressive stretch of three straight seasons with at least 83 catches and 1,153 yards. Of course, Atlanta’s ground attack has already proven to be deep and productive, with Jerious Norwood and Jason Snelling filling in admirably for Turner. For 2010, depth along the offensive line was boosted by the arrival of two new draft picks.
The pass defense was a major Achilles’ heel, allowing an average of 241.9 YPG (28th), so Atlanta hopes the signing of Dunta Robinson (Texans), a ballhawking cornerback, bolsters the biggest area of need. The addition of LB Sean Weatherspoon (1-Missouri) gives coordinator Brian VanGorder an instant upgrade.
Atlanta’s offense is still growing but despite its youth, and the core has gained valuable experience the last two seasons. Turner’s return should lessen the pressure on Ryan and increase scoring. If Smith’s fixes on the defense take hold, the Falcons will have no trouble returning to the playoffs.
Sportsbook.comRegular Season Wins Prop: Over/Under 9
The Falcons are in one of the tougher divisions in the NFL and should be right there in the mix with the Saints and Panthers for top billing. Considering they have averaged 10 wins over the last two seasons, and assuming Ryan is healthy, there's no reason to believe that they can reach double-digits again. It is hard to imagine them only mustering up eight wins so worst case, this bet is a push.
Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
