Packers Open as 7-Point Favorites vs Falcons in Week 4 Monday Night Football
- The Green Bay Packers are seven-point favorites against the Atlanta Falcons for their Week 4 matchup on Monday Night Football
- Aaron Rodgers tossed three touchdowns against the Saints while Matt Ryan and Falcons blew another lead against the Bears
- See opening odds and analysis on their prime time match-up
The Green Bay Packers have opened as seven-point against the Atlanta Falcons in their Week 4 Monday Night Football match-up in Wisconsin.
The Packers continued their early season domination, moving to 3-0 while beating the Saints 37-30 in the Superdome. Aaron Rodgers threw three touchdown passes to three different receivers and Aaron Jones hit pay-dirt again. He now has four touchdowns in the first three games of the season.
Meanwhile, can it get any worse for the Falcons?
After blowing a 15-point lead with less than five minutes to play against the Cowboys in Week 2, Atlanta blew it again to the Bears. Nick Foles took over for Mitchell Trubisky and led Chicago to a 30-26 comeback victory. Dan Quinn might be coaching for his job against Green Bay after surrendering a 16-point lead in the final six minutes.
Week 4 Falcons vs Packers Opening Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Falcons | +7 (-110) | +265 |
| Green Bay Packers | -7 (-110) | -330 |
Odds taken Sept. 27 on FanDuel
These are two teams headed in very opposite directions. While the Packers are averaging 40-plus points through their first three games (all conference wins with two against divisional opponents), the Falcons are averaging 15-plus point choke jobs in the fourth quarter in back-to-back weeks.
The Falcons are the first team in NFL history to lose twice in one season while holding a 15+ point lead in the 4th quarter. H/T @EliasSports
They've done so in back-to-back weeks. pic.twitter.com/kgf7vPctww
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 27, 2020
So, is the opening number about right?
Green Bay is rolling — scoring the sixth-most points ever for a 3-0 team in NFL history. And they’re heading back to Lameau. Meantime, the Falcons are allowing an average of 36 points per game in their first three games and the Super Bowl LI loss to the Patriots seems like forever ago and just yesterday all at once.
Man Possessed
Rodgers has been one of the best quarterbacks of this generation. He owns a Super Bowl ring and and two league MVP awards. But Green Bay moved up in the draft to take Jordan Love as his heir apparent in the 2020 NFL Draft after the Packers were blown out by the 49ers in last season’s NFC Championship game.
Aaron Rodgers drops DIMES pic.twitter.com/GEiFqRTncm
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) September 28, 2020
Needless to say, AR has responded well so far this season. He has thrown for just under 1,000 yards, nine touchdown passes and zero interceptions through the first three games. If it weren’t for Russell Wilson, Rodgers might be considered the MVP favorite.
Plus, he’s spreading the wealth. Wide receiver Allen Lazard finished with a career-high 146 yards and a score Sunday against the Saints while Davante Adams missed the game with a hamstring issue.
All this bodes well for the Packers to keep rolling.
Groundhog Day
I feel for Falcon fans.
When you blow a 28-3 in the Super Bowl, that’s tough to rebound from. And yet, here we are, still talking about blown leads under Dan Quinn. The sixth-year head coach didn’t want to talk about his future Sunday after the latest debacle, this one at Mercedes Benz Stadium.
“I need to be the same guy on our best days and on our worst days,” Quinn said Sunday. “Anything past that does not help the team. All I can focus on is us finishing better. That’s where my focus needs to be.”
Sure, Atlanta was without Julio Jones. But it’s the erstwhile Dirty Birds’ defense that is just plain dirty.
Dan Quinn can’t survive this. He’s a defensive coach who’s defense can never hold a lead.
— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) September 27, 2020
It’s getting ugly in Atlanta. And now, the team goes to Lambeau, a place the Falcons haven’t won at since 2008. That was Matt Ryan’s rookie season!
The Line
While the Packers open as a touchdown favorite, I could very easily seeing this line approaching eight or even nine points heading closer to Sunday.
The buzzards are circling Quinn, who has been one of the classiest coaches in the league since leaving Seattle after helping the Seahawks build their Legion of Boom defense into Super Bowl champs.
But these blown leads cannot be ignored any more. It’s getting the point where owner Arthur Blank needs to make a move, which might be in the best interests of Quinn.
Meantime, sharps love Green Bay at home. And I love them in this spot too. Bet them now while you can.
Blair Johnson is a veteran journalist and seasoned sports content creator. He has been writing and producing content as long as he can remember, with such familiar names as CNN, NFL Media and Yahoo. Blair currently lives and works in the greater Los Angeles area.
