The Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks open up their respective 2020 NFL seasons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium Sunday of Week 1. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET. Below, we preview the Seahawks-Falcons betting odds and lines and make our NFL picks and best bets.
Seahawks at Falcons betting odds and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 9:45 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline: Seahawks -129 (bet $129, win $100) | Falcons +110 (Bet $100, win $110)
- Against the Spread/ATS: Seahawks -2.5 (-110) | Falcons +2.5 (-110)
- Over/Under: 48.5 (O: -110, U: -110)
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Seahawks at Falcons game notes
- The Seahawks pulled off a 27-20 win in last season’s Week 8 trip to Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Falcons QB Matt Schaub started in place of Matt Ryan and threw for 460 yards with one touchdown and one interception in the loss.
- The Falcons made several key offseason additions with the signing of LB Dante Fowler Jr., CB Darqueze Dennard and RB Todd Gurley, and the trade acquisition of TE Hayden Hurst.
- Seattle’s signing included TE Greg Olsen and WR Phillip Dorsett.
- The two teams tied for 22nd in the NFL last year with 24.9 points allowed per game. The Seahawks were 26th with 381.6 yards allowed per game. Pro-Bowl S Jamal Adams was acquired from the New York Jets in an offseason trade to help improve on those numbers.
- The Seahawks tied for third in the NFL with a plus-12 turnover differential last year. The Falcons tied for 24th with a minus-5 differential.
Seahawks at Falcons key injuries
Seahawks
- WR Phillip Dorsett (foot) probable
- OT Duane Brown (knee) probable
Falcons
- WR Russell Gage (groin) probable
- DT Marlon Davidson (knee) probable
Seahawks at Falcons: Odds, betting lines, picks and prediction
Prediction
Falcons 27, Seahawks 26
Moneyline (?)
The FALCONS (+110) are the play as slight home dogs in the season opener. Both teams made several key changes on the defensive side of the ball to improve on last year’s poorly-ranked units.
The Seahawks are still led by the strong quartet of QB Russell Wilson, RB Chris Carson, and WRs Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf, but look for Atlanta’s improved defensive line to make life more difficult for Wilson than it was in this matchup last year.
Against the Spread (?)
Take the insurance with the FALCONS +2.5 (-110) in what should be a tight-scoring early-season game. I like the value of taking them to win outright, but the two points of insurance are nice to have in the event of missed field goals or extra points.
Over/Under (?)
As a general rule, I’ll be leaning to the Under in Week 1 games, but I’ll take the OVER 48.5 (-110) in Atlanta.
As mentioned above, both teams overhauled their defense this offseason in hopes of improving on last year’s results, while both teams return elite offensive groups. Look for two-experienced QBs in Wilson and Ryan to be able to take advantage of the inevitable early-season defensive miscues.
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