NFL Betting Preview: Atlanta Falcons at Miami Dolphins

NFC vs. AFC in this Sunday afternoon contest in South Florida as the Atlanta Falcons head South to take on the Miami Dolphins. The Falcons are 1-1 on the season after opening the year with a loss at New Orleans and a win at home over the St. Louis Rams. The Dolphins are something of a surprise at 2-0 after wins over Cleveland and Indianapolis. The Falcons are trying to overcome history this season–no team has ever won back to back NFC South championships and Atlanta is hoping to become the first. A win in this game would get them headed in the right direction.

After suffering through a winless preseason–explained away by the fact that head coach Mike Smith never prioritizes preseason games–there’s some concern that Atlanta may regress this season. The Falcons’ defense was a liability last year and didn’t look particularly sharp against New Orleans in the opening game though they looked somewhat better at home against St. Louis. They added running back Steven Jackson on offense but he’s less than 100% with an injured thigh. Tony Gonzalez is nearing the end of his Hall of Fame career and Roddy White is playing hurt with a high ankle sprain. White is listed as ‘probable’ again for this game but there’s a chance he may be used as a decoy as he has been for the previous two games.

Miami has their own injury concerns–quarterback Ryan Tannehill has suffered from a sore shoulder all week but he’s listed as ‘probable’ for the game and every indication is that he’ll play. Miami’s home field struggles in recent seasons are well documented but we’ll back the Dolphins in this game. It’s a tough matchup for Atlanta against a very physical team on an ‘off surface’–natural grass. If Jackson is not effective Atlanta has no rushing attack and the Dolphins have the significantly better defense. Miami is finally ‘turning the corner’ and becoming a quality NFL team. They still need some upgrades at certain positions but they’re at the point that they can beat any team in the league in the right circumstance–like today.

BET MIAMI DOLPHINS -3 OVER ATLANTA FALCONS