The Washington Commanders will head out on the road to face off against the Atlanta Falcons at 1:00 p.m. ET on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Commanders are limping into the game on a three-game losing streak.
The point spread may have favored Washington last Thursday, but the final result did not. They suffered a bruising 40-20 loss at the hands of the Bears. Washington was in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 27-3.
The Commanders' defeat came about despite a quality game from Sam Howell, who threw for 388 yards and two touchdowns while completing 72.5% of his passes. That's the first time this season that Howell passed for 300 or more yards.
The Commanders weren't very productive on the ground and finished the game with only 29 rushing yards. They were smoked by their opponents in that department as the Bears rushed for 178.
Meanwhile, Atlanta was not the first on the board last Sunday, but they got there more often. They had just enough and edged the Texans out 21-19.
Among those leading the charge was Desmond Ridder, who threw for 329 yards and a touchdown while completing 75.7% of his passes, and also punched in a touchdown on the ground. That's the first time this season that Ridder threw for 300 or more yards.
The opposite results left the teams with opposite records: Atlanta's win pushed their record up to 3-2, while Washington's defeat dropped theirs down to 2-3.
While only the Commanders took care of their fans the last time they played, neither team managed to cover. Looking forward, the Falcons are the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by two points. For those looking to play the spread, keep the Falcons' opponent in mind: they have a subpar 1-4 record against the spread vs the Commanders over their last five matchups.
Washington was able to grind out a solid victory over Atlanta when the teams last played back in November of 2022, winning 19-13. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Commanders since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.