Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons 2011 NFL Playoff Predictions, Odds, and Picks: Quarterback Aaron Rodgers will lead the Green Bay Packers on the road to the Georgia Dome to take on quarterback Matt Ryan and his Atlanta Falcons on Saturday night at 8:00 PM ET on FOX Sports for the divisional round of the NFL Playoffs. The Packers enter the game coming off a road win in Philly in the wild card round making them 11-7 including the playoffs while the Falcons had a bye due to a 13-3 finish to the regular season and 1st place in the NFC South and no. 1 seed for the NFC earning the home game as well.
The Georgia Dome has been a sweet place for Ryan as he is 20-2 at home during his 3 year career with the Falcons. “I think the dome has been a tough place for teams to come in and play this year,” Ryan, who set career highs with 3,705 yards and 28 touchdowns this season, told the Falcons’ official website. “The atmosphere has been electric. I think specifically for us offensively, it’s a benefit to be at home.” A rare snow storm hit Atlanta over the weekend making it difficult for the team to get to the facility. “I’ve been here since Sunday morning so I haven’t left the facility,” head football coach Mike Smith said Tuesday. “… The guys have managed it. We’ve done a really good job in terms of carpooling. We’ve had a bunch of guys making sure that they’re riding in together. We want to try to keep the week as normal as possible so we wanted these guys to go home if they wanted to.” The odds makers at SBG Global have the Atlanta Falcons -1 1/2 point favorites at home against the Green Bay Packers.
The Falcons were winners at home 31-10 over the Carolina Panthers to finish the regular season and ended at an impressive 11-5 ATS. Quarterback Matt Ryan completed 22 of 32 passes for 236 yards and 2 touchdowns while running back Michael Turner carried 17 times for 67 yards and a score. Atlanta is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Green Bay. Vegas odds makers have the Atlanta Falcons as +500 odds to win the 2011 Super Bowl.
The Packers are coming off a road playoff win 21-16 over the Philadelphia Eagles in the wild card round of the NFL playoffs and are 9-7 ATS for the season. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers completed 18 of 27 passes for 180 yards and 3 touchdowns while running back James Starks rolled up 123 yards on 23 carries. The total has gone OVER in 5 of Green Bay’s last 7 games when playing Atlanta. Vegas odds makers have the over/under for the total score at 45 1/2 points combined of the Green Bay Packers and Atlanta Falcons.
I predict a Packer victory on the road!
Note: Rich Fritz is a Blog Writer on NSAwins.com and not a pro handicapper. For expert NFL Football Predictions against the Vegas spreads please visit the NSAwins.com homepage for top predictions today from the National Sports Advisors.