Getty Devin White #45 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers sacks Matt Ryan #2 of the Atlanta Falcons.
Atlanta Falcons official 2020 schedule was released on Thursday and Las Vegas jumped the gun on betting odds. The Falcons are considered the underdogs in 10 games and favored in just six, according to BetOnline.ag.
Right out of the gate, the Falcons are the underdogs against the Seattle Seahawks at Mercedes Benz Stadium.
Here’s the Full List of 2020 Odds:
Week 1: Seattle Seahawks @ Atlanta Falcons +1
Week 2: Atlanta Falcons + 7 @ Dallas Cowboys
Week 3: Chicago Bears @ Atlanta Falcons -1
Week 4: Atlanta Falcons +6 @ Green Bay Packers
Week 5: Carolina Panthers @ Atlanta Falcons -6½
Week 6: Atlanta Falcons +5½ @ Minnesota Vikings
Week 7: Detroit Lions @ Atlanta Falcons -4½
Week 8: Atlanta Falcons -1½ @ Carolina Panthers
Week 9: Denver Broncos @ Atlanta Falcons -2½
Week 10: BYE
Week 11: Atlanta Falcons +9 @ New Orleans Saints
Week 12: Las Vegas Raiders @ Atlanta Falcons -3½
Week 13: New Orleans Saints @ Atlanta Falcons +3
Week 14: Atlanta Falcons +2½ @ Los Angeles Chargers
Week 15: Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Atlanta Falcons +1
Week 16: Atlanta Falcons +10½ @ Kansas City Chiefs
Week 17: Atlanta Falcons +6½ @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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Right Off of The Bat
In the first four weeks, the Falcons are facing are being tested with great quarterbacks. Head Coach Dan Quinn is actually hyped about the start of the schedule.
“I thought Russ and Dak and Aaron just in the first four weeks alone. What I love about that is I thought we made a lot of progress defensively in the final eight games from last year and so we’ll have a real good sense of where we’re at. That’s what I like about it, right off the bat.”
When you look past the odds, the Falcons worry right now should be when they head to Dallas to face the Cowboys. The Cowboys currently have the best players on both sides of the ball, but that’s only on paper. Still, they’re projected to do a lot of damage this season.
The other three opponents are beatable and the Falcons now have the necessary weapons to win even as an underdog.
Falcons’ Key Addition
Last season the Falcons got off to a rough start, however, the second half of the season was not so bad. The Falcons had a six-game winning streak to end last season and improved heavily on the defensive side of the ball. The ended up finishing the season in second in their division with a 7-9 record. This year’s defense is even more loaded after the Falcons make aggressive decisions in early free agency and stacked the defense during the draft.
The addition of Todd Gurley to the offense can hopefully pick up the slack. Gurley is joining an offense alongside quarterback Matt Ryan, wide receivers Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley, and new tight end target Hayden Hurst. The Falcons now have a total of 10 first-rounds on their offense which could make Atlanta’s offense one of the most feared in the NFC South.
The key addition here is definitely Gurley with hopes he can pick up the slack. Gurley moving in on the offense will give Ryan some options. Ryan can use Gurley as another passing target or take advantage of Gurley’s company in the backfield as a dominating rusher. Either way, the opposing defense will hurt.
Defense Wins Games
Everyone seems to be basing their predictions off of last season and I know Atlanta says this over and over, but this is their season. They made some big changes even down to letting promising players walk and replacing them with new, fresh ones.
The Falcons bolstered their defense in the draft by adding cornerback A.J. Terrell, defensive tackle Marlon Davidson, linebacker Mykal Walker, and safety Jaylinn Hawkins. They also acquired a dynamite defensive end, Dante Fowler, in early free agency.
Each of these guys is bringing their own spark to the fire and the underdogs could become the top dogs come week 1.
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Falcons Considered Underdogs in More Than 5 Games for 2020