Who’s Playing
New England @ Atlanta
Current Records: New England 6-4; Atlanta 4-5
What to Know
The New England Patriots will square off against the Atlanta Falcons on the road at 8:20 p.m. ET Thursday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Patriots have a defense that allows only 17.7 points per game, so Atlanta’s offense will have their work cut out for them.
New England ran circles around the Cleveland Browns this past Sunday, and the extra yardage (452 yards vs. 217 yards) paid off. New England steamrolled past Cleveland 45-7 at home. The matchup was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point New England had established a 31-7 advantage. RB Rhamondre Stevenson and WR Kendrick Bourne were among the main playmakers for New England as the former rushed for two TDs and 100 yards on 20 carries and the latter caught four passes for one TD and 98 yards. That nimble footwork stands out as the first time Stevenson has hit the 100-yard rushing mark this season. Stevenson’s sharp performance also set his single-game rushing touchdown high for the season.
Meanwhile,’s it’s hard to picture a worse defeat than the 43-3 bruising that the Falcons suffered against the Dallas Cowboys this past Sunday. Atlanta was in a tough position by the half, with the score already sitting at 36-3. QB Matt Ryan had a memorable game, but not in the way you want to be remembered: besides failing to produce a single touchdown, he threw two interceptions with a passing completion percentage of only 42.86%.
New England is the favorite in this one, with an expected 6.5-point margin of victory. They might be worth taking a chance on against the spread as they are currently on a four-game streak of ATS wins.
New England didn’t have too much trouble with Atlanta at home when the teams previously met four seasons ago as they won 23-7. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Patriots since the squad won’t have home-field advantage. We’ll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
How To Watch
- When: Thursday at 8:20 p.m. ET
- Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium — Atlanta, Georgia
- TV: FOX
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Ticket Cost: $37.00
Odds
The Patriots are a solid 6.5-point favorite against the Falcons, according to the latest NFL odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Patriots as a 5.5-point favorite.
Over/Under: -109
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Series History
New England have won both of the games they’ve played against Atlanta in the last seven years.
- Oct 22, 2017 – New England 23 vs. Atlanta 7
- Feb 05, 2017 – New England 34 vs. Atlanta 28
