TNF betting is finally here for NFL Week 1. To kick things off we have the Falcons at Eagles. The defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles will begin their title defense on Thursday, September 6. The Eagles host the Atlanta Falcons in the first game of the 2018 NFL regular season. The game will be played at Lincoln Financial Field. Also, it is scheduled to begin at 8:20 PM. ET.
Atlanta Falcons Analysis
The Falcons finished the 2017 season 10-6. Which was good to make the playoffs. They defeated the Los Angeles Rams in the Wildcard game. However, lost to the Eagles in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. They will try to get some payback on Thursday, but that is easier said than done. Ready for some Falcons at Eagles?
The Falcons offense struggled in the preseason, but that was partly due to the fact that Julio Jones was held out. Now that the games mean something, they will have to get their offense in gear against an Eagles defense that improved during the offseason.
Matt Ryan, who won the league MVP award in 2016, struggled at times last season and will have to play better to lead his team to victory in what will be a very hostile stadium. The Falcons also need running back Devonta Freeman to play better than he did last year when he finished with 865 yards and seven rushing touchdowns, after two consecutive seasons going over 1,000 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns.
Thursday Night Football Week 1
Philadelphia Eagles Analysis
The Eagles didn’t rest on their laurels during the offseason, doing as much as they could to improve their team. They added Michael Bennett and Haloti Ngata to an already good defensive line, and the addition of Corey Nelson and Paul Worrilow will add more depth to their linebacker corps. TNF betting is usually boring but not in Week 1.
Offensively, the Eagles lost LeGarrette Blount, but the team is confident Jay Ajayi can handle the running back responsibilities.
The team had been hoping quarterback Carson Wentz would be healthy enough to start their season opener, after suffering a season-ending knee injury at the end of last season. However, he hasn’t been cleared to play so Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles will be their opening day starter.
Falcons at Eagles Betting Picks
The Eagles are favored to win this game by 1.5 points. The over/under on total points scored is 45.
Since this is their first game since their Super Bowl victory, it will be an emotional game for the Eagles. The team will likely get off to a slow start, but their defense will keep them in the game, allowing them to take over in the second half. Take the Eagles to cover the spread.
