Atlanta Falcons at Philadelphia Eagles – ‘Monday Night Football’ Betting Preview

We think the Atlanta Falcons are going to be much improved this season with Kirk Cousins as their quarterback. But that failed to materialize in their Week 1 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

We think we can believe that the Philadelphia Eagles are indeed in line to compete for their second Super Bowl trip in three seasons. They looked great in Brazil in Week 1, and Saquon Barkley looked like the signing of the off-season. But international results can be hard to trust.

Game Line: Eagles (-5.5)

Bookmakers are believers in the Eagles. They are 5.5-point favorites to beat the Falcons, and they are +400 to win the NFC. That ranks them second behind the San Francisco 49ers, who lost on Sunday and will be without Christian McCaffrey for at least another three games.

An impressive win here for Philadelphia and another big showing from this offense, and those NFC championship odds will tighten even further. There will be even more believers in Philadelphia, and more people will forget the dismal way the Eagles ended last season.

The Falcons must score more than 10 points in this game. They have to find the end zone more than once. Cousins can’t throw another two interceptions. The Falcons began the season as the favorite to win the NFC South, but both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints are 2-0, and with impressive wins on their resume. Another clunker from the Falcons, and the calls to play Michael Penix in place of Cousins will get louder.

The Falcons failed to cover the spread last week against the Steelers, and they were 5-12 ATS spread in 2023. The Eagles covered in Week 1 and were 8-8-1 ATS spread in 2023.

Quarterback Proposition Bets

Cousins has an over/under of 224.5 passing yards, which is modest considering Jordan Love threw for 260 yards against the Philadelphia defense last week, and Cousins was over 274 yards last season in six of eight games.

The line on passing touchdowns for Cousins is 1.5, with the over paying +140.

Jalen Hurts is also at 1.5 touchdown passes, with +125 the payout for the over. Hurts is a -105 anytime touchdown scorer and +550 to score the game’s first touchdown. The line of passing yards for Hurts is 230.5.

Last week, Hurts threw for 278 yards. But he finished the season last year going under 200 yards in four of the last five regular season games.

Running Back Proposition Bets

Last season, Bijan Robinson was the most exciting draft prospect at running back since Saquon Barkley. In the head-to-head between the two on Monday, it’s Barkley that oddsmakers expect to have the better game.

Barkley’s over/under on rushing yards is 75.5, compared to 64.5 rushing yards for Robinson. In total yards (rushing + receiving), Barkley is at 98.5 yards and Robinson is 101.5.

Barkley is a heavy favorite to be an anytime touchdown scorer, paying -180. He’s at +380 to be the first touchdown scorer. Robinson is +650 to score the game’s first touchdown and -120 to find the end zone at anytime in the game. 

Pass Catcher Proposition Bets

A.J. Brown is out for the Eagles in this game, which is a huge loss. That will put the bulk of the receiving work on wide receiver DeVonta Smith and tight end Dallas Goedert. Smith’s over/under on receiving yards is 71.5, and Goedert’s is set at 43.5 

Jahan Dotson did not catch a pass on one target in Week 1. But his over/under in Week 2 is 27.5 receiving yards. 

For the Falcons, wide receiver Drake London is expected to have the biggest game catching the football. His over/under on receiving yards is 57.5, with his receptions set at 4.5. Tight end Kyle Pitts has a line of 3.5 catches for 40.5 yards. Darnell Mooney has a receiving yards over/under of 35.5.

In Week 1, Ray-Ray McCloud led the Falcons with seven targets and 52 yards. His over/under in Week 2 is 27.5 yards. 

Anytime touchdown odds for the Eagles are +130 for Smith and +220 for Goedert. For the Falcons, it’s London at +205, Pitts at +220, and Dotson and Mooney at +330.