Preview: Seattle at Atlanta
When: 4:35 PM ET, Saturday, January 14, 2017
Where: Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia
Matt Ryan may be the quarterback of the NFL's highest-scoring offense and a legitimate candidate to reel in league MVP honors this season, but the 31-year-old has enamored the masses with his less-than-stellar postseason play. With a 1-4 playoff record in his back pocket, Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons look to advance to the NFC Championship game for the second time in five years when they host the Seattle Seahawks in a divisional-round tilt on Saturday.
Ryan's lone postseason win came in a three-touchdown performance versus Seattle in January 2013, and he also threw for three scores three-plus years later - albeit in a 26-24 regular-season setback to the Seahawks on Oct. 16. Electric wideout Julio Jones made seven catches for 139 yards and a touchdown in the most recent encounter but was left searching for a pass interference call that never came against Pro Bowl cornerback Richard Sherman that effectively ended the game. Thomas Rawls missed that contest with a fractured leg but showed his mettle in Seattle's 28-6 rout of Detroit in last week's wild-card game by finding the end zone while rushing 27 times for a franchise playoff-record 161 yards. Another effective performance on the ground against Atlanta's 29th-ranked run defense would keep the Falcons' top-ranked scoring offense (33.8 points) off the field while opening up avenues for Seattle's play-action passing attack.
TV: 4:35 p.m. ET, FOX. LINE: Falcons -5. O/U: 51.5
ABOUT THE SEAHAWKS: Russell Wilson threw for only 224 yards in the victory against the Lions but was a perfect 11-of-11 for 104 yards and a touchdown when targeting trusted wideout Doug Baldwin. The 28-year-old Baldwin, who has a franchise-best 50 career postseason catches and five touchdowns in his last seven playoff games, was limited to four receptions for 31 yards in the first meeting with Atlanta. Tight end Jimmy Graham has been held to just 11 catches in his last five games but reeled in six passes for 89 yards in the first encounter with the Falcons.
ABOUT THE FALCONS (11-5): Pro Bowl running back Devonta Freeman averaged an impressive 4.8 yards per carry this season but was limited to 40 on 12 rushes by Seattle's stingy defense, which held opposing runners to a league-low 3.37 yards this campaign. Diminutive wideout Taylor Gabriel has been quite the complement to the 6-3, 220-pound Jones, using his considerable speed to find the end zone in six of his last eight games. Gabriel is expected to return from a toe/ankle injury and red-zone target Austin Hooper is making strides from an MCL sprain.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Atlanta coach Dan Quinn spent four seasons with Seattle, serving as defensive coordinator during the team's two most recent Super Bowl appearances.
2. Seahawks Pro Bowl DE Cliff Avril had two sacks last week and recorded two of his team-leading 11.5 in the first encounter with the Falcons.
3. Atlanta Pro Bowl LB Vic Beasley led the league with 15.5 sacks this season but did not secure one against Wilson in the team's first meeting.
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When: 4:35 PM ET, Saturday, January 14, 2017
Where: Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia
Matt Ryan may be the quarterback of the NFL's highest-scoring offense and a legitimate candidate to reel in league MVP honors this season, but the 31-year-old has enamored the masses with his less-than-stellar postseason play. With a 1-4 playoff record in his back pocket, Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons look to advance to the NFC Championship game for the second time in five years when they host the Seattle Seahawks in a divisional-round tilt on Saturday.
Ryan's lone postseason win came in a three-touchdown performance versus Seattle in January 2013, and he also threw for three scores three-plus years later - albeit in a 26-24 regular-season setback to the Seahawks on Oct. 16. Electric wideout Julio Jones made seven catches for 139 yards and a touchdown in the most recent encounter but was left searching for a pass interference call that never came against Pro Bowl cornerback Richard Sherman that effectively ended the game. Thomas Rawls missed that contest with a fractured leg but showed his mettle in Seattle's 28-6 rout of Detroit in last week's wild-card game by finding the end zone while rushing 27 times for a franchise playoff-record 161 yards. Another effective performance on the ground against Atlanta's 29th-ranked run defense would keep the Falcons' top-ranked scoring offense (33.8 points) off the field while opening up avenues for Seattle's play-action passing attack.
TV: 4:35 p.m. ET, FOX. LINE: Falcons -5. O/U: 51.5
ABOUT THE SEAHAWKS: Russell Wilson threw for only 224 yards in the victory against the Lions but was a perfect 11-of-11 for 104 yards and a touchdown when targeting trusted wideout Doug Baldwin. The 28-year-old Baldwin, who has a franchise-best 50 career postseason catches and five touchdowns in his last seven playoff games, was limited to four receptions for 31 yards in the first meeting with Atlanta. Tight end Jimmy Graham has been held to just 11 catches in his last five games but reeled in six passes for 89 yards in the first encounter with the Falcons.
ABOUT THE FALCONS (11-5): Pro Bowl running back Devonta Freeman averaged an impressive 4.8 yards per carry this season but was limited to 40 on 12 rushes by Seattle's stingy defense, which held opposing runners to a league-low 3.37 yards this campaign. Diminutive wideout Taylor Gabriel has been quite the complement to the 6-3, 220-pound Jones, using his considerable speed to find the end zone in six of his last eight games. Gabriel is expected to return from a toe/ankle injury and red-zone target Austin Hooper is making strides from an MCL sprain.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Atlanta coach Dan Quinn spent four seasons with Seattle, serving as defensive coordinator during the team's two most recent Super Bowl appearances.
2. Seahawks Pro Bowl DE Cliff Avril had two sacks last week and recorded two of his team-leading 11.5 in the first encounter with the Falcons.
3. Atlanta Pro Bowl LB Vic Beasley led the league with 15.5 sacks this season but did not secure one against Wilson in the team's first meeting.
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Head to Head
- Over is 5-1 in the last 6 meetings.
- Road team is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 meetings.
- Underdog is 7-3 ATS in their last 10 meetings.
Preview: Houston at New England
When: 8:15 PM ET, Saturday, January 14, 2017
Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
The Houston Texans visited the New England Patriots in Week 3 and were demolished 27-0, a loss that was more eye-opening given that they were up against a rookie third-string quarterback making his first career start. So it's hardly a surprise that the top-seeded Patriots are overwhelming favorites in Saturday night's AFC Divisional Round matchup against visiting Houston.
The Texans won the AFC South with a 9-7 record and knocked off fifth-seeded Oakland 27-14 in the first round of the playoffs, but they are more than two-touchdown underdogs against New England. “It’s OK if we’re called the underdogs, I kind of like it,” Houston linebacker Whitney Mercilus told reporters. “Definitely get to shock a whole lot of people, so we’re looking forward to that.” The Patriots closed the season with a seven-game winning streak and have outscored Houston 54-6 in two matchups over the last 13 months, but quarterback Tom Brady dismissed the idea that they are looking past the Texans. “I don’t see any letdown from us. That’s ridiculous to think that," Brady told reporters. "I’m preparing like this is the hardest game we’ve faced all season, which it will be, and it means the most."
TV: 8:15 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Patriots -15.5. O/U: 44.5
ABOUT THE TEXANS: Houston's top-ranked defense limited Oakland to 203 total yards and ranked second in the league with 193.3 passing yards allowed, but coach Bill O'Brien -- a former Patriots offensive coordinator -- admitted the unit won't show Brady "anything that he hasn't already seen." Former No. 1 overall draft pick Jadeveon Clowney had a sack in each of the final three regular-season games and added a pivotal interception in last week's playoff victory. Quarterback Brock Osweiler, who reclaimed his starting job when Tom Savage suffered a concussion in Week 17, threw for 168 yards and a touchdown against the Raiders and 196 yards in Week 3 at New England. Lamar Miller gained 80 yards on 21 carries versus the Patriots but managed only 73 on 31 rushes a week ago.
ABOUT THE PATRIOTS (14-2): With the untested Jacoby Brissett under center in the early-season matchup, New England leaned on the running game as LeGarrette Blount produced 105 yards and two scores, part of his NFL-leading 18 rushing touchdowns. Brady missed the first meeting while serving a four-game suspension, but he put up spectacular numbers upon his return with 28 touchdown passes against only two interceptions while averaging 296.2 yards per game. Julian Edelman made a team-high 98 catches for a receiving corps that has been bolstered by waiver-wire acquisition Michael Floyd and expects to have Danny Amendola back on Saturday. For all the talk about their offense, the Patriots permitted a league-low 15.6 points and held six of their last seven opponents to 17 or fewer.
EXTRA POINTS
1. The Patriots are 7-1 all-time against Houston, including 4-0 at home.
2. Mercilus, who recorded a team-high 7.5 sacks during the regular season, has five in two career postseason contests
3. A win on Saturday will make New England the first team since the merger to advance to six straight conference title games.
ATS Trends
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When: 8:15 PM ET, Saturday, January 14, 2017
Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
The Houston Texans visited the New England Patriots in Week 3 and were demolished 27-0, a loss that was more eye-opening given that they were up against a rookie third-string quarterback making his first career start. So it's hardly a surprise that the top-seeded Patriots are overwhelming favorites in Saturday night's AFC Divisional Round matchup against visiting Houston.
The Texans won the AFC South with a 9-7 record and knocked off fifth-seeded Oakland 27-14 in the first round of the playoffs, but they are more than two-touchdown underdogs against New England. “It’s OK if we’re called the underdogs, I kind of like it,” Houston linebacker Whitney Mercilus told reporters. “Definitely get to shock a whole lot of people, so we’re looking forward to that.” The Patriots closed the season with a seven-game winning streak and have outscored Houston 54-6 in two matchups over the last 13 months, but quarterback Tom Brady dismissed the idea that they are looking past the Texans. “I don’t see any letdown from us. That’s ridiculous to think that," Brady told reporters. "I’m preparing like this is the hardest game we’ve faced all season, which it will be, and it means the most."
TV: 8:15 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Patriots -15.5. O/U: 44.5
ABOUT THE TEXANS: Houston's top-ranked defense limited Oakland to 203 total yards and ranked second in the league with 193.3 passing yards allowed, but coach Bill O'Brien -- a former Patriots offensive coordinator -- admitted the unit won't show Brady "anything that he hasn't already seen." Former No. 1 overall draft pick Jadeveon Clowney had a sack in each of the final three regular-season games and added a pivotal interception in last week's playoff victory. Quarterback Brock Osweiler, who reclaimed his starting job when Tom Savage suffered a concussion in Week 17, threw for 168 yards and a touchdown against the Raiders and 196 yards in Week 3 at New England. Lamar Miller gained 80 yards on 21 carries versus the Patriots but managed only 73 on 31 rushes a week ago.
ABOUT THE PATRIOTS (14-2): With the untested Jacoby Brissett under center in the early-season matchup, New England leaned on the running game as LeGarrette Blount produced 105 yards and two scores, part of his NFL-leading 18 rushing touchdowns. Brady missed the first meeting while serving a four-game suspension, but he put up spectacular numbers upon his return with 28 touchdown passes against only two interceptions while averaging 296.2 yards per game. Julian Edelman made a team-high 98 catches for a receiving corps that has been bolstered by waiver-wire acquisition Michael Floyd and expects to have Danny Amendola back on Saturday. For all the talk about their offense, the Patriots permitted a league-low 15.6 points and held six of their last seven opponents to 17 or fewer.
EXTRA POINTS
1. The Patriots are 7-1 all-time against Houston, including 4-0 at home.
2. Mercilus, who recorded a team-high 7.5 sacks during the regular season, has five in two career postseason contests
3. A win on Saturday will make New England the first team since the merger to advance to six straight conference title games.
ATS Trends
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Head to Head
- Home team is 6-1-1 ATS in their last 8 meetings.
- Favorite is 4-1-1 ATS in their last 6 meetings.
- Over is 6-2 in the last 8 meetings.
- Texans are 1-5-1 ATS in their last 7 meetings.
- Texans are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 meetings in New England.
| Rot. | Team | Spread | Money Line | Total Points | Team Points | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Saturday, Jan 14, 2017 - NFL Football Game | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 04:35 PM | Seattle Seahawks | +6 | -106 | +215 | Ov | 52 | -115 | Ov | 23½ | -120 | Un | 23½ | -110 | ||||||||||
| Atlanta Falcons | -6 | -114 | -255 | Un | 52 | -105 | Ov | 28½ | -125 | Un | 28½ | -105 | |||||||||||
| 08:15 PM | Houston Texans | +15 | -112 | +1025 | Ov | 44½ | -110 | Ov | 13½ | -130 | Un | 13½ | +100 | ||||||||||
| New England Patriots | -15 | -108 | -1600 | Un | 44½ | -110 | Ov | 29½ | -120 | Un | 29½ | -110 |
Today could be the Falcons' final game in the Georgia Dome (foreground). Next season, they will move to Mercedes-Benz Stadium. In the background. The only way the Falcons will play again at the Dome is if they defeat the Seahawks today and the top-seeded Cowboys lose to the Packers tomorrow.
MGM took two limit bets from respected players today on Falcons -5 and -5.5. Atlanta now -6 vs. Seahawks at most shops. Up to 6.5 at Wynn.
On Wednesday, William Hill US took a $115,000 money-line bet on the Falcons -230. Would net $50,000.
Divisional Round Uniform Combo:
