Crucial NFC Battle Pits Falcons vs. Cardinals
Two teams that had preseason playoff aspirations meet Sunday with their playoff lives hanging in the balance – not even half way through the season. The disappointing yet injury ravaged Atlanta Falcons head to Phoenix to take on a Cardinals team that hasn’t quite lived up to their billing so far this year.
The Atlanta Falcons travel to Arizona to take on the Cardinals in the first NFC Playoff Wild-Card game of the weekend. The Cardinals finished out the regular season by losing 4 out of their last 6 games. The only two teams they managed to beat were the hapless St. Louis Rams and the even worse Seattle Seahawks.
Not many forecasted this to be a Wild Card match-up at the beginning of the NFL betting season. However, the Atlanta Falcons (11-5, 9-7 ATS) will look to continue its unbelievable single season turnaround when it takes a trip to the desert to square off against the Arizona Cardinals (9-7, 9-7 ATS); kick-off is slated for 4:30 ET and the game can be seen nationally on NBC. The Falcons broke even for NFL bettors on the road this season by compiling a 4-4 ATS mark while Arizona produced a decent return posting a 5-3 home ATS record.
The Atlanta Falcons (11-5 SU, 9-7 ATS, 7-9 O/U) are arguably the biggest surprise story of the 2008 NFL season. Led by gifted rookie quarterback Matt Ryan, running back Michael Turner and first-year head coach Mike Smith, the high-flying Falcons make their surprise appearance in the playoffs riding a three-game winning streak in the BetUS Sportsbook. The Arizona Cardinals (9-7 SU, 9-7 ATS, 11-5 O/U) are making their first playoff appearance in a decade and have one of the league’s most explosive offenses.
