NFL Free Pick: ATL/SD
The Atlanta Falcons hope to stay in the NFC playoff picture when they travel to the West Coast to take on the up and down San Diego Chargers.
Oddsmakers from online sports book Sportsbook.com have made the Chargers –4.5 point spread favorite. The over/under for this game has been set at 49 total points.
Key Trend: The Falcons are 5-2 against the spread in their last seven games, while the Chargers are just 1-4 against the spread in their last five. The total has also gone under in five of Atlanta’s last five games when playing San Diego.
Key Stat: Atlanta has been successful on the ground this year, averaging 151.6 rushing yards per game, while San Diego has struggled stopping opponents’ passing games this season, surrendering 265.5 yards through the air.
Game Outlook: We’re a bit surprised that the Chargers are giving up 4.5 points in this matchup, even though they’re at home and teams traveling from the East Coast to the West don’t fare well. Still, Matt Ryan and Michael Turner have been damn near unstoppable this season and shouldn’t have any problem scoring points against a San Diego defense allowing 22.9 points per game. The key will be whether or not Atlanta can contain Philip Rivers and the Chargers’ passing game, which is averaging 245.9 yards a game. The Falcons might allow a ton of yards, but they usually keep opponents out of the end zone, allowing 20.5 points per game. We think this will be tight and come down to the wire, but we envision an outright Falcons’ victory.
Our Free NFL Pick for the Week 13 matchup between the Atlanta Falcons and San Diego Chargers game is
ATLANTA FALCONS +4.5
TheSpread.com Projected Final Score
Atlanta Falcons 20
San Diego Chargers 17
We also predict that this game will GO UNDER THE TOTAL (49 Sportsbook.com) SET BY ODDSMAKERS
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Posted: 11/30/08 11:00AM ET