San Diego at Atlanta Week 7 Betting Pick & Prediction

The San Diego Chargers (2-4) and the Atlanta Falcons (4-2) had contrasting fortunes last week. San Diego ended its three-game slump with a 21-13 home win over Denver last Thursday, while Atlanta dropped a heartbreaking one in a 26-24 loss at Seattle on Sunday. On paper, the Falcons have been the better team, but with San Diego’s four losses arguably coming due to bad luck rather than poor play, you are better off reading the NFL odds preview below before settling on your winning pick.

San Diego at Atlanta Week 7 Betting Pick, Prediction & TV Info

Should the defense’s priority be to shut down the running game, or Julio?https://t.co/FMF2sr4EJQ

— San Diego Chargers (@Chargers) October 21, 2016

Where: Georgia Dome, Atlanta, When: Sunday, October 23, 4:05 PM ET TV: FOX Radio: San Diego / Atlanta Live Stream: NFL Live NFL Lines: Atlanta (-6.5), OVER/UNDER 53.5

Why Bet on San Diego?

Philip Rivers has been playing serviceably in every game this season, and there is very little to believe that he will be faring any differently against the Falcons, who have been giving up roughly 28 points per game this season. But even with Rivers having the potential of leading the Chargers to a strong offensive performance against Atlanta, the biggest task of the day will be on San Diego’s defense that will need to work extra-hard in order to contain the extremely potent Atlanta offense that rank best in the nation. A winning opportunity is certainly there, but a clean and all-through solid performance will be required from San Diego if it is to get the better of the home-playing Falcons.

Why Bet on Atlanta?

Quarterback Matt Ryan and his Atlanta offense lived up to their reputation by playing really well against Seattle last week. Unfortunately, some questionable decision-making from Ryan down the stretch of the game gave the Seahawks a chance to record a late come-from- behind win. You shouldn’t overreact, though, to that loss. For one, Ryan has done very little wrong under the center this season, so bouncing back against the Chargers, who’ve been one of the worst defensive teams in the nation shouldn’t be a big deal. Secondly, the Falcons have some of the best offensive targets in the league, led by star wide receiver Julio Jones, who leads the league with 656 receiving yards on 31 catches, and the volatile and complementary running back tandem of Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman, who’ve been wreaking havoc on opposing defenses both aerially and on the ground. Combine that with the motivation of already taking care of big-time opponents like Carolina and Denver this season, it goes without saying that a strong performance can be expected from the Falcons in this game, especially if Atlanta’s D can come up with some decent number of stops this weekend.

My Betting Picks and Predictions

This will sound like a cheesy pick, but it’s probably the best one to give, going by how both teams have been playing. Both the Falcons and Chargers have been rather shaky in defense while Rivers and Ryan have been solid in leading their offenses, which means there should be a good likelihood for a shootout affair this weekend. With that, an OVER total affair should be likely, most probably with a home win and for the in-form Falcons, who are 4-0 SU and 3-1 ATS in their last 4 overall meetings against San Diego. Final Score Prediction: Atlanta 36, San Diego 33 Writer’s NFL Picks: Atlanta (Moneyline/SU), OVER 53.5