Falcons move from underdogs to favorites over Seahawks on ‘MNF’

The favorite-and-over two-team parlay has cashed in the last five “Monday Night Football” games.

The Seahawks opened as a 3-point home favorite over the Falcons but money has since poured in on Atlanta, which is now favored by 1 or 1½ points at most Las Vegas sports books.

“We need the Hawks,” Wynn Las Vegas sports book director Johnny Avello said. “Seattle’s really banged up defensively. They still have a good homefield advantage but it’s not the same Seahawks team that used to shut teams down. They’re still pretty good defensively but with (cornerback) Richard Sherman out, it looks like their secondary can be thrown on. That’s the reason for the (line) move.”

The Falcons are favored by 1½ points at Wynn Las Vegas, the Westgate and the Golden Nugget and by 1 point at William Hill, the Stratosphere and MGM Resorts, which started the day with the Seahawks as a 1-point favorite.

The game is a pick’em at Station Casinos, CG Technology, Boyd Gaming and the South Point.

“When you see that (difference in lines), that’s usually not a wiseguy move,” Avello said. “Sophisticated money will move everybody at the same time. I don’t believe that’s the case.”

Avello said he’s taken lots of bets on the Falcons in the $20,000 to $30,000 range.

The total is between 45½ and 46.

Atlanta drilled Dallas 27-7 last time out to snap a 0-5 skid against the spread. Seattle pushed in a 22-16 win over Arizona on Nov. 9.

The teams split two games last season, with the Seahawks rallying for a 26-24 win at home in the regular season before getting blown out 36-20 at Atlanta in the playoffs.

The Falcons have gone under in six of nine games this season after going over in 16 of 19 games last season. The over is 14-4-1 in Atlanta’s last 19 games vs. the NFC.

Both teams have played well on Monday night, with the Falcons on a 5-1 ATS run and Seattle on a 8-2-1 ATS uptick.

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.