The NFL did us a favor here. Sunday Night Football for Week 17 was supposed to be the Miami Dolphins vs. the Cleveland Browns. Nightmare. Luckily for us, they flexed that game out in favor of the Atlanta Falcons vs. the Washington Commanders. 

This game brings a lot more storylines to the table. Both teams will be starting rookie quarterbacks in Jayden Daniels and Michael Penix And both teams are still battling to win their division. We’ll take a look at all the narratives, stats, and injuries for our Falcons. Vs. Commanders predictions on Sunday Night Football in Week 17!

Even if you just want to see the Falcons vs. Commanders odds and have Falcons vs. Commanders picks of your own, don’t forget to scroll down at the end to see how you can scoop up a $1,500 BetMGM Sportsbook sign-up bonus! 

 

 

 

Falcons vs. Commanders Predictions For NFL Week 17, Sunday Night Football 

As they are in different divisions, these teams aren’t a lot to play every year. In fact, they can play as infrequently as every four years. But they have finished in similar spots within their division which makes the fourth year in a row they will face each other. 

The Commanders won each of the last three. Prior to that, they hadn’t played since 2018 with the Falcons winning all six of their meetings over the previous decade. 

Over the last four games the Falcons have won two and dropped two. The two they won were against the lowly Giants and Raiders while losing to the Vikings and Chargers. The lone start for Michael Penix came against a Giants team that couldn’t get out of their own way. 

The Commanders went on a three-game losing streak against the Steelers, Eagles, and Cowboys but have responded with three straight wins against the Titans, Saints, and Eagles. 

 

 

 

Atlanta Falcons: A New-Look Offense With Penix Jr.

The Michael Penix era has begun. He wasn’t asked to do much last week because the Giants were turning the ball over left and right. But, outside of the interception, he did play a fairly “clean” game. He didn’t fumble any snaps, the offense didn’t have any false starts, and he didn’t take a single sack.

Drake London escaped an injury scare so he will have his full arsenal available of London, Darnell Mooney, Ray-Ray McCloud, and Kyle Pitts. Of course, Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier will help ease his workload out of the backfield.

The Falcons defense has some great players on paper. Grady Jarrett, Jessie Bates, AJ Terrell, Matt Judon. But they had not really come together under first year defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake until the last two weeks. And it’s hard to say whether that has been a product of the matchups vs. the Raiders and Giants or not as they did allow 42 to the Vikings in the week prior. 

 

 

 

Washington Commanders: Jayden Daniels Offensive Rookie of the Year

It’s not over until it’s over. But Jayden Daniels currently sits at -10000 odds to be NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Those numbers are a pretty strong indicator. And he’s done it with essentially one star in Terry McLaurin. 

No disrespect to Zach Ertz and Brian Robinson, of course, who have held their own in this Commander’s offense this year as well. Head coach Dan Quinn certainly deserves at least some recognition for getting this Commanders’ defense back on track. 

They were brutally bad against the pass to start the season but have come around a little bit as of late. Trading for Marshon Lattimore was a smart move as Benjamin St-Juste has struggled for most of the season and has essentially been benched over the last two weeks. 

 

 

 

Falcons vs. Commanders Odds, Spreads, Total & Betting Lines

As promised, the latest Falcons vs. Commanders odds can be found below courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook:

 

 

 

Falcons vs. Commanders: Game Total Over 47.5 (-110 at BetMGM Sportsbook)

Betting on the Falcons to win or even keep this one close is a tough ask considering the limited sample size we have seen from Michael Penix But, given what I have seen from him, I can honestly bet on the offense to have higher upside with him under center than Kirk Cousins. 

It was obvious that Cousins lacked the mobility needed. And I’m not talking about actually running the football himself - I’m talking about the ability to even run play action in a believable manner. 

On the flip side, I don’t see the Falcons defense containing Jayden Daniels and company. Jimmy Lake has done fine against lesser opponents but teams like the Vikings, Broncos, and even the Seahawks had no problem racking up big scores on them.

With Michael Penix potentially opening up both the run and the pass game via play-action, I think both of these offenses are the strong parts of these teams with the defenses both having their flaws. I think the NFL got this one right by flexing it to Sunday Night Football and we potentially have a shootout on our hands. So, I’m betting the over here at 47.5. 

 

 

 

Falcons vs. Commanders Injury Report & Latest News

Finally, let’s take a quick look at the projected starting lineups for both teams heading into tonight’s matchup:

ATL Falcons

WAS Commanders

 

 

 

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