NFL Week 16 Picks: Atlanta Falcons vs. San Francisco 49ers

Atlanta Falcons vs. San Francisco 49ers
Monday, 12/23/13, 8:40 PM EST
Opening Point Spread: San Francisco -10.5
Current Betting Line: San Francisco -14
Opening Total: 45
Current Total: 46
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker

The San Francisco 49ers have dropped their last four regular season games against the Atlanta Falcons

Atlanta will take part in the season’s final Monday Night Football game during Week 16, as it looks to improve upon its 6-0 SU mark in games played on the West Coast under head coach Mike Smith. The Falcons are also out to avenge last year’s 28-24 loss to the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game, which is important to consider when making your NFL betting picks. The franchise has won four straight regular season games against San Francisco, including the last two at Candlestick Park. Atlanta is 1-8 SU and 3-6 ATS as an underdog this season, with the UNDER going 6-3 in that situation.

The Falcons have won two of their last three games despite the fact that they’ll miss the playoffs for the first time since 2009, as the defense has forced 11 turnovers in that span after causing eight through the first 11 games. Atlanta has given up 59 plays of 20 yards or more to rank in the bottom half of the league, while San Francisco has allowed the second-fewest in that all-important statistical category.

San Francisco has won four consecutive games, including a 33-14 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as 4.5-point road favorites in Week 15, while winning the statistical battle in each of those affairs. The 49ers 204 regular season wins at this venue are the most wins by a team in their home stadium in league history, which can’t be ignored when looking over the pro football odds page. Offensively, the team has scored 30-or-more points in 7 games this season—most since tallying 10 during the 1998 campaign. San Francisco is 9-3 SU and 6-6 ATS in December the last two-plus seasons.

The 49ers are still alive in hopes of capturing the NFC West Division title, as the Seattle Seahawks failed to secure that distinction by dropping a contest to the Arizona Cardinals. San Francisco is eighth in the league with a +8 turnover differential, which is far better than Atlanta’s -6 mark that sits tied for 24th in the league. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick completed 16 of 21 passes for 233 yards in the win against the Falcons that send the squad to the Super Bowl last year.