NFL Betting Odds: Falcons Favored Over Tom Brady's Buccaneers?

The opening betting odds for Sunday's game between the Atlanta Falcons and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers may shock people.

The Atlanta Falcons are playing host to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the final week of the season. 

According to SI Sportsbook, the Falcons are a 6.5-point favorite over the Buccaneers. How can that be, are the Buccaneers resting players ahead of their Wildcard game? "No," Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles told the media on Wednesday. 

"We can get better at a lot of things," Bowles said. "So right now I'm planning on playing them. But things could still change. We'll see as the week goes forward, but we can get better at a lot of things that we need to work on, and we don't need to take our foot off the gas."

Maybe it is a little display of gamesmanship on Bowles' part, trying not to reveal his hand and give the Falcons a leg up in preparation. Or Bowles actually believes playing his starters, even if for a few drives, can be of some benefit. 

Judging by the opening points spread, Vegas believes that the Falcons should beat the Bucs in the end. 

The Falcons broke a four-game losing streak in their 20-19 win over the Cardinals. The third career start of rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder continued to show his positive strides, setting up the Falcons for a game-winning Younghoe Koo field goal. 

The final Falcons game of the season will be against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday at 1 p.m. ... in which we will see more of Ridder.

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