The Atlanta Falcons will be looking to extend their NFL pre-season winning streak when they take on the Miami Dolphins in Orlando on Thursday as 2.5-point betting underdogs at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Atlanta has much to prove in the upcoming NFL campaign after struggling to an 8-8 finish in 2015, but have emerged as beasts of the pre-season, riding a three-game winning streak into Thursday night’s Falcons vs. Dolphins betting matchup at the Florida Citrus Bowl.
The Falcons are coming off a decisive 24-13 victory over Cleveland last week, dominating the Browns on possession and outgaining them by a 498-243 margin.
Atlanta struggled to contain a rejuvenated Robert Griffin III, who impressed in his debut under centre for Cleveland, completing six passes for 96 yards and a pair of TDs before leaving at halftime. But after shutting out the Browns in the second half, Atlanta improved to 5-2 straight up and against the spread in their past seven pre-season contests, and they are undefeated in their past three on the road.
Jobs are on the line in Miami after the Dolphins fell to 1-1 with a crushing 41-14 loss in Dallas last week. Dolphins pivot Ryan Tannehill battled to keep Miami within striking distance of the Cowboys early on, but the night was about Cowboys rookie passer Dak Prescott, who threw for 199 yards and two scores.
Miami is now just 2-4 SU in their past six pre-season outings, but a solid 4-1 SU in their past five August home dates. However, they are also just 1-4 ATS during that stretch, according to the OddsShark NFL Database.
Prescott will likely see more action when the Cowboys face the Seattle Seahawks in Thursday night’s late game as 6-point road underdogs on the NFL odds.
Dallas’ win over the Dolphins was welcome relief for Cowboys fans who endured the club’s 2-12 stretch run last season, and a 28-24 road loss to the Los Angeles Rams two weeks ago. The Cowboys have been a dismal on the road in the pre-season, riding a seven-game SU losing streak, but they picked up ATS wins in their past two outings.
Points have been scarce in the pre-season for the Seahawks, who dropped an 18-11 decision to Minnesota last week after eking out a 17-16 win over Kansas City in Week 1, and tallied just 13 total points in their most recent two pre-season dates with Dallas, a decade ago.
Meanwhile, in NFL pre-season betting action on Friday, the Carolina Panthers host the New England Patriots as 3.5-point chalk, while the New Orleans Saints are slim 1.5-point favourites over the Pittsburgh Steelers in a battle of winless squads.
