Atlanta Falcons (7-8) vs. Buffalo Bills (9-6)
January 2, 2022 1:00 pm EDT
The Line: Buffalo Bills -14.5 / Atlanta Falcons +14.5; Over/Under: 45
(Get latest betting odds)
The Buffalo Bills and Atlanta Falcons square off early Sunday afternoon in week 17 NFL action at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park. The Atlanta Falcons look to get back to a .500 record. The Buffalo Bills have a chance to get to double-digit wins for the third straight year.
The Atlanta Falcons have won five of their last seven road games. Matt Ryan is completing 67.9 percent of his passes for 3,555 yards, 19 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Kyle Pitts and Russell Gage have combined for 1,543 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns, while Cordarrelle Patterson has 49 receptions. The Atlanta Falcons ground game is averaging 86.2 yards per contest, and Patterson leads the way with 579 yards and 6 touchdowns. Defensively, Atlanta is allowing 26.7 points and 364.9 yards per game. Foyesade Oluokun leads the Atlanta Falcons with 166 tackles, Dante Fowler Jr. has 4.5 sacks and Jaylinn Hawkins has 2 interceptions.
The Buffalo Bills have won four of their last six home games. Josh Allen is completing 65 percent of his passes for 4,048 yards, 34 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Stefon Diggs and Cole Beasley have combined for 1,732 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, while Emmanuel Sanders has 42 receptions. The Buffalo Bills ground game is averaging 120.4 yards per contest, and Devin Singletary leads the way with 672 yards and 4 touchdowns. Defensively, Buffalo is allowing 17.6 points and 287.9 yards per game. Tremaine Edmunds leads the Buffalo Bills with 97 tackles, Mario Addison has 4 sacks and Jordan Poyer has 5 interceptions.
The Falcons are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 road games and 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games overall. The Bills are 7-1-1 ATS vs. a team with a losing record and 17-8-1 ATS in their last 26 games overall. The under is 6-1 in Falcons last 7 games overall. The over is 5-2 in Bills last 7 games overall. The underdog is 3-1-1 ATS in their last 5 meetings.
On paper, the Buffalo Bills should win this game comfortably, but they’ve underachieved at times this year, and they’re not exactly the most trustworthy team in the world. The Bills are also coming off a big win over the Patriots, so possible letdown spot here. The Atlanta Falcons are below average on both sides of the ball, but they’ve played their best ball by far on the road, which includes wins in five of their last seven tries. This is also expected to be a windy, rainy game. Lot of points here and the hook could be key. Give me the Falcons and the points.
