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Jeremy Perry
Chiefs vs. Falcons Point Spread: NFL Pre-Season Week 2 Odds, Prediction
Both teams will be looking to see more for both of those units on Friday. However, neither coaching staff pushes their teams in exhibition action, so keep that in mind.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
Neither head coach has a sparkling record in the pre-season. Atlanta’s head coach Dan Quinn went 0-4 in the pre-season a year ago and is 5-8 all-time in exhibition play. His teams are 2-1 in Week 4 and 2-8 in all other weeks.
Meanwhile, Andy Reid owns a 36-41 all-time pre-season record but has had much more success in recent years since arriving in Kansas City. It’s worth noting his teams are 12-7 in Week 3 but have a losing record in all other weeks.
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs have won four of their last six exhibition road games with a 4-1-1 record against the spread in those contests. Patrick Mahomes will likely get a longer look this time around after he completed 5-of-7 pass attempts for 33 yards in a 17-10 loss to the Houston Texans in Week 1 of the pre-season. Mahomes still needs to prove that he can be the leader of this Kansas City offense. That means the onus is on him to show what he can do before the regular season gets underway. Chad Henne, Chase Litton and Matt McGloin looked good for the Chiefs in their pre-season opener, going a combined 18-for-28 for 135 yards. All of the Chiefs quarterbacks had decent completion percentages but all hardly moved the football (short passes).
The Chiefs running backs also did virtually nothing as they totaled just 73 yards on 23 carries. The depth chart on this team plus Reid’s lack of pushing the gas pedal in the preseason doesn’t inspire much confidence.
Atlanta Falcons
If you thought the Chiefs offense was pathetic in their opener, the Falcons were completely shut out. Matt Ryan only threw one pass (for -2 yards) but the rest of the quarterbacks combined for just 205 yards and an interception. The running backs had just 49 yards on 22 carries.
Given Dan Quinn’s preseason stats, it’s hard to bank on a strong turnaround here.
Instead of betting the side, the total might be worth a look. The under has hit in each of the Falcons’ last four pre-season games. When you add in that the Chiefs barely mustered 10 points in their first game themselves, it figures to be a low-scoring game in this spot.
