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The Atlanta Falcons are the reigning Super Bowl representative from the NFC. They lost a couple of contributors, but they also added Dontari Poe, enjoyed a quality draft class, and still have one of the best rosters in the NFL.
The Chicago Bears were one of the three worst teams in the NFL a year ago. They signed Mike Glennon to a sizable deal, traded up to draft Mitchell Trubisky, and still figure to be one of the five or ten worst teams in the NFL. Given that, the following news will not surprise you.
#Falcons favored to win opener over Bears by 6.5 points https://t.co/tvrtWfPpw8
— D. Orlando Ledbetter (@DOrlandoAJC) May 5, 2017
Frankly, I’d be surprised if this game was this close, but maybe the Bears have a surprise in store for Atlanta playing at home. They certainly have some young talent, but their offense is looking like it will be fairly limited, and that means this athletic, young defense should be able to deal with them.
This is the perfect road opener for the Falcons, though, who will have a chance to tune up before they hit the meat of their schedule. If they win impressively here, it’s a great start, and if it’s a close win or a loss, the panic will come early to the fanbase. Let’s just say I’m bullish on them beating the Bears.