Atlanta Falcons (-1, O/U 50.5) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Falcons have the best record in the NFL, but their opponent Sunday might be the hottest team in the league.
Tampa Bay looks to win its fifth straight game and take a big step towards the playoffs as it hosts the Falcons, who are looking good to earn home field throughout the NFC postseason.
Though Atlanta has only lost one game this season, the Falcons aren’t exactly tearing up the league as of late. They survived five Matt Ryan interceptions to edge the Cardinals 23-19 last week, lost to the Saints the previous week and have had six wins by a touchdown or less this season.
The 6-4 Bucs needed some magic of their own to beat the Panthers last week. They trailed by 11 points with six minutes left in regulation before tying the game, then winning in overtime. Tampa Bay’s previous three wins, however, came by double-digit margins.
The Falcons are a bit banged up for this one, with WR Julio Jones (ankle) and cornerback Asante Samuel (shoulder) as question marks for Sunday.
Tampa boasts the league’s best rush defence while Atlanta ranks 30th in the league allowing 5 yards a carry. The Bucs’ pass defence, however, is the worst in the league.
Tampa is 9-23 against the spread in its last 32 home games. The over has cashed in the Bucs’ last seven contests.
San Francisco 49ers (-1, O/U 49) at New Orleans Saints
New Orleans has played itself back into the playoff picture, winning five of six after an 0-4 start, but the Saints face a big obstacle in the 49ers.
San Francisco might not even know who its No. 1 quarterback is these days, but the Niners still have hopes of overtaking Atlanta as the top seed in the NFC.
It’s unclear whether Alex Smith or Colin Kaepernick will get the majority of the snaps as QB of the Niners Sunday. It might not matter if San Fran can play defence the way it did last week, when it embarrassed the Chicago Bears on Monday night.
The Niners have allowed the fewest points in the league (13.4 per game) and just 293.9 yards a game (ranking second overall). Meanwhile, the Saints are tied for fourth in the league in scoring offence, averaging 28.7 points a contest.
On the other side of the ball, San Fran’s running attack should have a huge advantage against the Saints’ defence. Frank Gore and the Niners average the most yards on the ground in the league (165.3), while the Saints have allowed at least 400 yards in every game they’ve played.
New Orleans has won the past six regular-season meetings between the clubs, but San Francisco won a memorable 36-32 decision in last year’s playoffs.
The under is 7-2-2 in the teams’ last 11 meetings in New Orleans, and is 15-2-2 in the Niners’ last 19 games on fieldturf. But the over is 11-4 in the Saints’ last 15 games, 10-1 in their last 11 against the NFC and 6-2 in their last eight at home.
Green Bay Packers at New York Giants (-3, O/U 51)
The Giants hope a bye week solved their midseason swoon as they host the Packers on Sunday Night Football.
The bye couldn’t have come at a better time for New York, which has lost its last two games to drop to 6-4. Eli Manning has not thrown a touchdown pass in three straight games.
The Giants have a strong track record of playing well after their bye week. New York has won its past four post-bye games and Manning has racked up nearly 1,300 yards, thrown 10 touchdowns and been picked only once in those wins.
Green Bay is rolling, having won five in a row after a slow start to the season. The Packers are now tied with the Bears for top spot in the NFC North, moving to 7-3 with last week’s 24-20 win at Detroit.
The Cheeseheads are still battling the inuury bug, however. Clay Matthews (hamstring) is doubtful for Sunday night, while Charles Woodson (broken collarbone) remains out. Cornerback Sam Shields is also out.
MetLife Stadium is not known as a kicker-friendly field, and that could play a factor in what promises to be a close game. The Giants’ Lawrence Tynes has made 28 of 31 field-goal attempts this seaosn, while the Packers’ Mason Crosby missed two of three kicks last week and has only been good on 11 of 18 this season.
The over is 15-6 in Green Bay’s last 21 games and 5-0 in the last five meetings between the teams. The under is 6-2 in the Giants’ last eight at home and 13-5 in their last 18 following a bye week.