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The Atlanta Falcons odds of winning the 2015 Super Bowl were at 65/1, amazing value if we were coming off the 2012 season. But alas we are coming off the 2013 NFL season where Atlanta laid an egg and finished with a 4-12 record.
The Falcons fanbase is one that shows up during halftime and leaves before the 4th quarter has completed even during winning seasons. But the sports bettors still showed them some degree of attention, sticking with the Falcons right up to the final second since so many of their games came down to a last second cover prior to 2013 or should we say failure to cover the spread).
During 2013, however, even the most hardcore sports bettor turned their respective backs on Atlanta.
We should have all seen it coming. Atlanta as a favorite over the past three seasons was 14-5 Straight Up, yet they lost nearly half of those games Against The Spread.
The irony in all of this is that, once the sports bettors deserted Atlanta, that’s when they started covering games, going 5-1 Against The Spread while losing all but two of those games Straight Up.
The verdict is in from the oddsmakers and Atlanta is not likely to win more than 8 regular season games as they are priced at -135 on the UNDER.
Drew Magary of DeadSpin.com writes: “Really dodged a bullet there. You and I were nearly saddled with the burden of having to watch Matt Ryan lose in the playoffs for the fourth year in a row! PHEW!”
DeadSpin.com warns us all that the Falcons may still suck in 2014, thus making a 2015 Super Bowl a difficult thing to grasp.
As if that even matters.
“You know how analysts say a playoff game contains many ‘intriguing subplots’? This is not true when the Falcons play in a playoff game. There is no intrigue. There are no subplots. There is only one plot and that plot is, ‘How will they lose and how unwatchable can they make the process of losing?’.”
Okay, so we know they were really bad last year (though the pundits would often argue that Atlanta was a much better team than their record indicated, year right). What got them to 4-12?
Let’s start with the defense and, sadly, it doesn’t look as if they have taken the proper corrective measures in addressing that area.
The Falcons were one of the worst defensive teams in football last season, so they attempted to fix that this offseason by getting rid of a bunch of random people (Asante Samuel, Thomas Decoud) and replacing them with a bunch of other random people (Tyson Jackson, Josh Wilson, Javier Arenas). But don't worry, Atlanta. The front seven still blows, so some things will feel familiar. Nose tackle Peria Jerry just retired at age 29 to help speed along the process of sucking.
It may get worse from there as starting quarterback Matt Ryan will be without the now retired Tony Gonzalez.
So is there any reason to be optimistic here?
One fan put it like this: “The worst thing about being a Falcons fan: we are always ‘just one year away from being SERIOUS contenders’/”
Next year just never seems to come however.
All we can wish for this year is that Atlanta is a little bit better as we expect them to be healthier and Carolina has a serious dilemma when it comes to receivers so this should help open up the division a little bit to give Atlanta those 4 extra wins.
But go with the UNDER 8.5 since the Falcons have the 11th toughest schedule in the league this year.
- Nagesh Rath, Gambling911.com
