Atlanta Falcons (3-5) vs. Indianapolis Colts (7-2) (Berlin)
Sunday, 9:30 a.m. ET
FanDuel odds: Colts -6.5, Total 48.5
Series Rewind: The Colts are 15-3 all-time against the Falcons but Atlanta won the most recent meeting, 29-10 on Christmas Eve 2023, behind QB Taylor Heinicke.

The first ever NFL game in Berlin pits two teams who have done the passport football thing a time or two. The Falcons are 2-2 all-time in international games and the Colts are bringing the league’s No. 1 scoring offense (32.2 ppg) to Germany after previously playing in Frankfurt. Indianapolis arrives with a bit of novelty having added All-Pro CB Sauce Gardner at the trade deadline. The Colts also are trying to rebound from a five-turnover showing by the offense in a loss to the Steelers last week. QB Daniel Jones started a November game in Germany with the Giants in 2024 before New York pulled the plug on his tenure with the team. Jones passed for 342 yards last week. He’ll attempt to get more out of his backfield running mate Jonathan Taylor to keep the Falcons’ speed rushers off-balance. When Taylor is clicking, the Colts’ excel with RPO-driven options that demand disciplined reads from a defense and open throwing lanes underneath where rookie TE Tyler Warren is thriving. He’s second in the league at the position with 518 receiving yards. Taylor leads the NFL with 12 touchdowns and is second in yards from scrimmage (1,113). He’s just ahead of Falcons RB Bijan Robinson (1,058), who ranks third in the league. QB Michael Penix Jr. and WR Drake London hooked up for three TD passes in Week 9. London has been used some in the slot, which might take away the potential for a one-on-one matchup with Gardner.

The post NFL Sunday Morning Capsule: Berlin appeared first on Digital Sports Desk.

FRANKFURT – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Gardner Minshew passed for 194 yards, Jonathan Taylor scored the game’s only touchdown, and Indianapolis defeated sinking New England in Germany.

The Colts (5-5) won their second straight game and enter their bye week at .500, while ensuring the Patriots (2-8) remained with the AFC’s worst record.

Minshew completed 18 of 28 passes and threw one interception. Taylor rushed 23 times for 69 yards, and Michael Pittman had a game-high eight catches for 84 yards for Indianapolis. The Colts intercepted Patriots quarterbacks Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe on consecutive possessions late in the fourth quarter.

The post Patri_ts Lose to Colts in Germany appeared first on Digital Sports Desk.

ATLANTA – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – With eight weeks of the regular season in the books, we have a mature player props market with plentiful data points. Finding winners will become increasingly difficult as the bookmakers sharpen their lines. As a result, this is the time of year when exercising discipline can save your bankroll.

When studying player props, we typically skew more toward playing under this time of year. However, after beginning with an overall handicap of the Week 9 games, I noticed that quite a few overs piqued my interest.

That can sometimes be a red flag, so we will be a bit cautious in adding more plays. As a result, these are three most intriguing player props heading into Week 9.

–Falcons QB Taylor Heinicke over 10.5 rushing yards (-115 at BetMGM)
Falcons head coach Arthur Smith announced they’re turning to Heinicke after the veteran backup replaced Desmond Ridder last week in the third quarter against the Titans.

Ridder underwent a concussion evaluation at halftime and, despite being cleared, did not check back into the game. He’s been turnover-prone and Heinicke was very productive, albeit against a Titans’ defense clearly playing it safe with a big lead.

Heinicke orchestrated four scoring drives for 20 points and 253 total yards compared to one scoring drive for three points in the first half for Ridder. And while Smith doesn’t view this change as permanent, Heinicke is clearly auditioning for the job.

Opportunities for Heinicke to run the ball against a Minnesota defense that forces opposing quarterbacks to step up in the pocket.

According to Pro-Football-Reference, the Vikings lead the league with a 52.7 percent blitz rate. That’s almost 10 percent higher than the Giants, who rank second at 43.1.

The Vikings have also allowed the sixth-most rushing yards (170) to opposing quarterbacks this season.

Based on these factors, we have enough to play Heinicke over his rushing prop.

–Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa over 22.5 pass attempts (-130 at FanDuel)

There are plenty of storylines in Germany as two of the AFC’s top teams take part of the NFL’s International Series.

The Dolphins and Chiefs have matching 6-2 records. But Miami has yet to beat a team with a record over .500. In comparison, the Chiefs have three wins over .500 teams.

There’s also the Tyreek Hill angle, as the dynamic wide receiver will line up against his former team after spending five years in Kansas City before he was traded during contract talks with the Chiefs.

Even before playing his first game with the Dolphins, Hill drew some criticism after commenting that Tagovailoa was a more accurate passer than Mahomes.

While some in the media interpreted Hill’s comments as a slight towards Mahomes, he never said Tagovailoa was the better quarterback. Hill praised Mahomes for having the stronger arm between the two.

Nonetheless, we have a revenge angle here with Hill facing the Chiefs.

This game will take place at Deutsche Bank Park, which has a retractable roof. The total remains steady at 50.5, the highest of the week.

Given the subplots with Tagovailoa vs. Mahomes and Hill facing his former team, it wouldn’t surprise me if this game turns into a track meet.

–Tyson Bagent over 18.5 completions (-110 at DraftKings)
With Justin Fields still nursing a right thumb injury, Bagent will make his third straight start. While the rookie has only 80 passes this season, he’s completing 70 percent of his attempts.

It also doesn’t hurt that his average intended air yards (5.6) puts him dead last among quarterbacks with at least 68 pass attempts.

It’s not a stretch to think that the Bears’ passing offense is somewhat risk-averse with Bagent under center.

If the Bears continue with this conservative approach, Bagent should be able to pick up some easy completions against the Saints with this prop going over the number.

–Field Level Media

The post NFL: Week 9 Player Props appeared first on Digital Sports Desk.