Sunday Night Football Week 7: Prediction For Patriots-Falcons Super Bowl Rematch

Arguably the most highly anticipated matchup of the 2017 NFL season, at least up to this point, is set for “Sunday Night Football” in Week 7. The New England Patriots host the Atlanta Falcons in a rematch of Super Bowl LI.

Everyone knows what happened when these two teams last met. Atlanta looked to be on the verge of winning their first championship in franchise history, only to blow a 28-3 lead and lose in overtime. The Falcons are hoping to get a measure of revenge with a victory at Gillette Stadium with neither team playing their best football.

Atlanta hasn’t gotten a win since Week 3. They were upset at home by the Buffalo Bills in Week 4, suffering their first defeat of the season. Following a bye week, Atlanta suffered an even worse loss in their own building. The Falcons’ dynamic offense didn’t put up a single point in the second half, blowing a 17-0 lead to the Miami Dolphins.

New England has actually won their last two games. Neither victory was very impressive. The Patriots squeaked by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Jets with one-possession victories, though the team was aided by a bad field goal kicker and a controversial call by the officials.

Prior to their two-game winning streak, the Patriots had lost two of four games. Both defeats came at home, where the team had been just about unbeatable.

The Kansas City Chiefs put up 42 points on New England in the season opener, while the Carolina Panthers won at Gillette Stadium in Week 4 by scoring 33 points. The Patriots nearly lost at home to the Houston Texans in Week 3, but a touchdown drive led by Tom Brady in the final minutes made up for the 33 points that New England surrendered.

Bill Belichick and Tom Brady are the reason why New England is the Super Bowl favorite in Week 7. The Patriots haven’t played like the best team in football, and they certainly haven’t exhibited a championship defense.

The Patriots rank dead last in yards allowed per play. Opposing quarterbacks have a passer rating of 104.4, and only six teams give up more yards per rush than New England.

As much as Atlanta’s offense has struggled in the last few weeks, a trip to New England might be exactly what the team needs to get back on track. Matt Ryan won’t be as good in 2017 as he was in his 2016 MVP season, but he’s still among the league’s top signal callers. The Falcons are second in yards per play.

Brady and the Patriots, of course, can still put up points in a hurry. The quarterback started Week 7 with the league’s most passing yards and the second-best passer rating. New England has scored fewer than 24 points just once, and the team is averaging 32 points per game at home.

The Falcons rank seventh in yards allowed per play, but they haven’t really been tested yet. Aside from facing the Green Bay Packers, all of Atlanta’s games have come against teams that rank in the bottom six in total offense.

Sunday’s game should live up to the hype, going back and forth with plenty of points being scored. New England is a three-point favorite, according to the betting odds at OddsShark, and the over/under is 56.5.

Because the teams are pretty evenly matched and New England no longer has the same mystique at home, taking Atlanta and the points is the right pick.

Prediction: Atlanta over New England 37-36