Falcons vs Bears: Do or die for Atlanta
The Atlanta Falcons will try to keep their playoff hopes alive when they visit the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on Sunday. The Falcons are one win away from 50%, while the Bears have already doubled their wins from last season.
Can the Falcons stay alive in the playoff race?
The Atlanta Falcons are second in the NFC South with a 7-8 record, one win less than the Buccaneers. The Falcons are only 2-5 on the road, and they are coming off a 29-10 win over the Indianapolis Colts, which ended their two-game losing streak. Atlanta is second in the league in rushing attempts with 31.5 per game and is ranked 9th with 10.5 yards per completion. Defensively, the Falcons are fifth in the league, allowing 5.1 yards per play.
Another disappointing season for the Bears
The Chicago Bears are at the bottom of the NFC North with a 6-9 record. As bad as this record sounds, the Bears have already doubled their number of wins from last season. Chicago is 4-3 at Soldier Field and is coming into this game as the winner of 3 of the last 4 games. Last week, the Bears defeated the Arizona Cardinals 27-16. Chicago is second in the NFL with 142.1 rushing yards per game.
Betting Trends
The Falcons have played under the total point line in 9 of their last 11 road games and have also gone under in 4 of the last 5 games overall. Chicago has played under the total point line in 4 of the last 5 games following a win.
Player to watch
The Falcons running back Tyler Allgeier is having just an average season, but last week he showed that he can be a great help for Atlanta in the most important stage of the season. The 23-year-old had 9 carries for a total of 69 yards, or 7.7 yards per rush attempt, which is way above his season average of 3.7.
Injury Reports
DT David Onyemata and G Chris Lindstrom are questionable for the Falcons while WR Darnell Mooney and TE Cole Kmet have the same status for the Bears.
Prediction and Conclusion
Both teams expected to be in a much better situation at this stage of the season, but there is still hope for the Falcons. They have a losing record on the road, and the entire season comes down to this game. The Bears are not in the playoff conversation, which gives a certain advantage to the visiting Falcons. However, both teams are struggling to score this season, and that will probably be the case in this game as well. The total point line is set at a low 37.5 points, but knowing the offensive potential of these two teams, there will not be much scoring on Sunday, and the game will most likely stay under 37.5 points.
