If this is not the highest scoring game of the week, I will be pretty shocked. The Green Bay Packers will head down south to Georgia, where they face off with the second place team in the NFC South, the Atlanta Falcons. The Packers are coming off a statement game against the Chicago Bears in which they won 26-10. The Falcons did not fair quite as well in NFL week seven, as they lost in overtime to the San Diego Chargers.
The Packers came out last week and took care of the Bears. Most people saw it as a statement that the Packers were back and would be fine following an ugly loss to the Dallas Cowboys, that resulted in many questioning Aaron Rodgers. But let me go back to last week for a second, and explain how it really does not prove anything. It was a game the team needed to win, as they were home and facing a mediocre team. Not only are the Bears mediocre, but for most of the game they had their third string quarterback in there. So the win does not hold much weight in my eyes. I have no been impressed with Rodgers this season, as he just does not look right. Pair that with Mike McCarthy’s approach to the offense, and the Packers are simply not as good as many expected them to be.
Now enter the Falcons, who have now suffered two straight losses a combined five points. The team has one of the best, and highest powered offenses in the entire NFL. Matt Ryan and Julio Jones are both talented players, and it shows when they are on the same page. Their downfall is their defense, which does not do much to stop opposing offenses. Hence why this game is lining up to be a high scoring affair. One interesting note is that the Falcons have lost two games at home. It will be interesting to see if this pattern continues, or if they were just two fluke losses.
I say it is too early to identify that as a pattern, and I am going again the Pack in this one, as I am not buying in yet. The Falcons offense is so high powered, they could score with anyone. So look for plenty of Matty Ice to Julio this week.
Line: Atl -3, O/U: 53
Pick: Falcons and the over
Result: Atl 33 – GB 32, Packers and the over
To see the spreads and over/under for each week eight match-up, make sure you head over to our master sheet right here!