Online betting players haven’t had to worry about Kansas City in recent years, and you probably won’t have to again this year, at least in terms of winning the AFC West. But the Chiefs have some good young players and now they have the coaches to teach them, and they’ll prove to be no pushovers when they head to Atlanta for their preseason opener.
What: NFL betting
When: Friday, August 13th, 8:00 PM ET
Where: Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA
Pick: Chiefs
What’s On The Line
The Chiefs are still in the rebuilding process, but they have a lot of hungry young talent that is just waiting to gel, and coach Todd Haley has brought in coordinators Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel, who were Super Bowl winners with GM Scott Pioli in New England. The Falcons were bothered by injuries and expectations in 2009, and they’re out to show that last year’s struggles was a fluke.
Offensive Matchups: Chiefs Falcons Betting
Matt Cassel had a tough first year in Kansas City, and Weis will try to make it a bit easier on him with some new offensive schemes that we’ll see through backup Brodie Croyle, while Tyler Palko will also get some work. The Chiefs are now very deep in the backfield with Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones, who both had at least 1,120 yards last year. The line, however, isn’t that deep, and there aren’t many big-play threats on the field. Rookie Dexter McCluster will get work all over the place from the backfield to the slot.
Matt Ryan took a step back in his sophomore season, but he was dealing with turf toe over the second half, and it didn’t help that running back Michael Turner was out of the lineup as well. Both are back, and Ryan’s job is much safer than Turner’s, who will have Jerrious Norwood and Jason Snelling looking over his shoulder. Ryan will be backed up by Chris Redman, while John Parker-Wilson and D.J. Shockley battle for the third spot. Roddy White needs receiving help outside of tight end Tony Gonzalez, and the Falcons are also looking to see how deep the line is.
Free sports picks: Falcons
Defensive Matchups: Chiefs Falcons Betting
Crennel’s first job with this defense is to get the best out of linemen Glenn Dorsey and Tyson Jackson, a pair of first-round picks out of LSU. However, the Chiefs picked another SEC player in Tennessee’s Eric Berry, and this should be getting a star in the safety who hits like a linebacker, but can play center field as well as some free safeties. Javier Arenas will get a look as a nickel corner, and he was known for his blitzing skills at Alabama. But the secondary, as strong as it could be, will be in trouble if the Chiefs can’t get at the quarterback, and they were second-last in sacks in 2009.
The Falcons set out to improve their defense during the offseason, signing Dunta Robinson to man one of the corner spots, and they drafted Sean Witherspoon, a versatile linebacker who is going to find his way on the field, one way or another. Curtis Lofton could be the next great middle linebacker in the NFC, and the Falcons were 10th in the league against the run, but they were awful against the pass, coming in 28th. The Falcons were tied for 26th in sacks, and the line needs to be more consistent.
Sports picks: Chiefs
Notable Injuries: Chiefs Falcons Betting
Neither team has any major injuries to worry about coming into this game, and they’ll try to keep it that way.
Gambling picks: Draw
Outlook and Pick: Chiefs Falcons Betting
NFL betting odds should favor the Falcons at home in the Georgia Dome, and even though Atlanta has won their last two regular-season games against the Chiefs at home, a lot of the young Kansas City players who played in the SEC are familiar with the Georgia Dome. Haley was in his first year as a head coach last year, and now he has experienced coordinators who can help him with the young talent in Kansas City, and that’s why we’re banking on a sports betting win for the Chiefs in this opening preseason game.
Stan’s Pick: Kansas City