Falcons vs. Buccaneers: Atlanta 12.5 point underdogs to Tampa Bay

The only thing crashing harder out the gates than the Atlanta Falcons is the betting lines. Atlanta went from a 3.5 point favorite to a 12.5 underdog in only a week.

And it has felt exactly like that sort of week.

Falcons fans have learned again and again to not bet on the Falcons. Think of all the better things you could do with that money, like:

1. Go back to college
2. Add guacamole to that burrito
3. Pour money directly into the garbage disposal

I noted last week that Week 1 is usually a mess across the league leading to some odd scoring (or in Atlanta’s case, the lack thereof). The Falcons did not, in fact, cover, or really at any time even threaten coming close. The game went under thanks to Atlanta’s non-existent offense.

This week, the Falcons are dogs, which usually gives them a better chance of winning the game. In a testament to how frustrating the Falcons were last season, they covered the spread regularly when underdogs. The opposite was true for when they were favored. Atlanta lost a lot of very close games.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a frustrating level of consistency from the last year. They lost nobody. No coaches. No starters. Nothing. They should be just as good, if not better, than last year’s Super Bowl team. There is no realistic expectation Atlanta could win.

Could the Falcons cover? Even that is not clear. The offensive line with Jalen Mayfield is a massive problem. Now the interior line will be stuck blocking Vita Vea, easily one of the top young interior players in the league. I can’t imagine Matt Ryan gets into too much of a rhythm on Sunday.

The over/under is set at a 52, which becomes slightly more interesting if you expect the Falcons to be inept yet again. It is just another reminder that betting on the Falcons is fraught with peril.