Sunday’s Atlanta Falcons vs. Miami Dolphins game will feature two teams playing their first contests since returning from London. The difference is the Falcons had a week off while the Dolphins elected not to have their bye week following their game across the pond. Let’s take a look at the current NFL odds, the TV channel, how to live stream this Week 7 matchup, and a Falcons vs. Dolphins prediction.
Atlanta Falcons vs. Miami Dolphins prediction and odds | Week 7
[bet-promo id=”149453″]
- Spread: Falcons -2.5 (-115)
- Moneyline: Falcons -145, Dolphins +125
- Over/Under: 47.5 (Over -110, Under -110)
Odds from DraftKings sportsbook
Neither the Falcons nor the Dolphins have performed well against the spread in 2021. The two teams have covered a combined four times in 11 games. Additionally, the Falcons are just 1-5 against the spread in their last six as a road favorite. The Dolphins, meanwhile, are 8-8 against the spread in their last nine at home against teams with a losing record on the road.
There is no real pattern to speak of when it comes to the game total. The over has cashed in three of Atlanta’s five games while the over and under have split in Miami’s six games this season. That said, the over has cashed in three of Atlanta’s last four. However, the under has cashed in four of the last five games between these two teams.
Falcons vs. Dolphins prediction
The return of Tua Tagovailoa in Week 6 did not return the Dolphins to the win column for the first time since the opening week of the season. Miami’s offense did not magically transform into a juggernaut.
For stretches of the game, in fact, they still looked inept despite playing against a bottom-five defense. And perhaps the worst part is that the Dolphins’ running game remains non-existent, meaning the offense is all on Tua’s left shoulder.
The offense, however, wasn’t even the worst part of the Dolphins’ performance in London last week. It’s tough to decide if their defense or their coaching staff had a worse day. At least the defense had an excuse, as they played without both of their starting cornerbacks.
Head coach Brian Flores, however, has no such justification. His late-game decisions ultimately cost his team their second win of the season. Now essentially out of the AFC playoff picture, the remainder of 2021 will be about Flores trying to keep his job in 2022.
On the flip side, the Falcons come into this game off of a bye and refreshed after a victory over the Jets in London — their second win in three games. Rookie tight end Kyle Pitts finally had his breakout game, catching 9 passes for 119 yards and a touchdown. Matt Ryan is coming off his finest game of 2021 as well, throwing for 342 yards and 2 touchdowns.
And that was without the team’s two starting wide receivers — including one of the league’s best in Calvin Ridley. Ridley is expected to return in Week 7 vs. Miami. That will be bad news for the Dolphins, as it’s unclear if either of the team’s two starting corners — Xavien Howard and Byron Jones — will suit up on Sunday.
Potential for high scoring affair
As crazy as it might sound, this game could turn into a shootout of sorts. Neither defense is particularly strong, and both teams have playmakers on offense.
The Dolphins will hope to get either DeVante Parker or Preston Williams back from injury to help provide some balance to a passing attack that relied heavily on Jaylen Waddle and Mike Gesicki last week. But even that won’t be enough if Miami’s defense doesn’t start to look more like the 2020 version than the version we’ve seen this year.
Prediction: Falcons 30, Dolphins 27
How to watch and listen to Falcons vs. Dolphins this week
- Start time: 1 PM ET
- Channel: FOX
- Live stream:
- Sling
- Hulu + Live TV
- fuboTV
- YouTube TV
- Listen:
- Local Miami: 560 WQAM, KISS 99.9
- Local Atlanta: 92.9 The Game, Sports Radio ESPN 1420
- TuneIn Radio
- Sirius XM Radio