The Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings face off in Week 2 of the NFL season with two second-year quarterbacks battling to show that they belong amongst the league’s elite.
J.J. McCarthy made his NFL debut on Monday night in Week 1, totaling three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) to lead the Vikings to a comeback win over the Chicago Bears.
Now, he’ll host Michael Penix Jr. and the Atlanta Falcons, who suffered a heartbreaking Week 1 loss, failing to cover the spread in the process. Atlanta took a lead late in the fourth quarter, but a Bucs touchdown and a missed Falcons field goal sealed Atlanta’s fate at 0-1.
Can the Falcons, who are underdogs on Sunday night, pull off an upset in Minnesota?
All season long, the SI Betting team is going to share score predictions using the latest odds and analysis to attempt to get a score right – and give bettors our thoughts on both the spread and total.
Here’s where I’m leaning for this primetime matchup between two potential playoff teams in the NFC.
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
Spread
Moneyline
Total
This line has moved in favor of the Falcons as the week has gone one, with a lot of sharp money coming in on the road team.
Atlanta opened as a 4.5-point underdog on the road, but it may have a chance to pull off an upset against a Vikings team that wasn’t exactly dominant in the first few quarters of Week 1.
Earlier this week, SI’s NFL betting insider Iain MacMillan picked an upset in this game, betting on the Falcons to win outright as part of his Road to 272 column:
Typically, I wait until Monday Night Football happens before I place a bet on teams playing in that game, but I had to rush to bet the Falcons at +187 in this spot. Atlanta fell short to the Buccaneers, but Michael Penix Jr. looked every bit of a great NFL quarterback, and their defense looked much improved under Jeff Ulbrich.
Making J.J. McCarthy this big of a favorite in his second-ever NFL start seems like a stretch. Atlanta has the weapons to not only cover the spread against Minnesota but also win this game outright. The Falcons are my upset pick of the week.
While I’m not sold on the Falcons pulling off the upset in this game, I don’t love the idea of laying this number with Minnesota in Week 2.
McCarthy struggled to start Week 1 against the Bears, and Atlanta has a really talented offense that should be able to hang around in this matchup. Chicago didn’t take advantage of a lot of empty Minnesota possessions, but I’d count on Penix and the Falcons to put up at least 20 points in this matchup.
I’ll back Atlanta to cover in a game that goes OVER this total on Sunday night.
Final Score Prediction: Vikings 26, Falcons 24
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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