The Chargers will get pinged for their rush defense against a Falcons squad that can tote the rock extremely well, but Los Angeles has improved marginally in that area as of late, and it is coming off a bye week offering extra time to prepare for Atlanta. Not having Keenan Allen hurts, but Austin Ekeler being active is key for the Chargers’ offensive balance. The Falcons struggle against quality passers and will also be without their best cornerback, A.J. Terrell. Even with backups, a (hopefully healthier) Justin Herbert should be able to throw all over Atlanta in a good situational spot giving under a field goal. There's a reason L.A. is a road favorite in this spot.

The Falcons are an insanely popular underdog and, although the matchup might support some value, the situational circumstances call for value on the Chargers. The Falcons have overachieved but also lived dangerously, with three of their four wins coming by 4 or fewer points. They could be primed for an emotional letdown spot after last week's wild OT win against the Panthers. Even with their depleted weapons and suspect run defense, the Chargers are the better club, have played better on the road this year, and have had two weeks to prepare coming off an embarrassing home loss to Seattle. Take the cheap price.

Aren't teams supposed to get healthier in the bye week? Justin Herbert will be without his top two wideouts in Atlanta. I honestly don't know what to think about the Falcons but I'll take the 3 (actually I'll be buying the half point).

This game’s total matches the highest of the weekend even though the Chargers’ offense is seriously weakened. For awhile, it appeared as if their main WR would be DeAndre Carter, who signed in the offseason mainly to return kickoffs. Now he is iffy with an illness. Joshua Palmer, concussed recently, might play, but Keenan Allen and Mike Williams are unavailable. Atlanta manages somehow to accumulate points with a run-minded offense. This matchup figures to generate more handoffs than throws, making the total a tad high.

The Falcons have dropped two straight ATS after starting the season perfect, but they were a miracle bomb falling incomplete away from being 7-1 ATS heading into this matchup. This Atlanta offense wants to run the ball, and it'll have a Chargers defense that's allowed 213 rush yards in two of its last three games willing to let it succeed. The Chargers offense should also have success against a bad Atlanta defense, but with L.A. down its top two receivers and with the next two on the depth chart dealing with injuries, maybe they have to settle for a few FGs that would've otherwise been TDs. I'll trust in the Falcons to keep this one close.

The Chargers give up an NFL-high 5.7 yards per carry, which sets up well for a Falcons team that runs the ball 57.6 percent of the time (2nd-highest rate behind Chicago). While the Falcons should get safety Jaylinn Hawkins (43 tackles, INT, forced fumble) back from his concussion, LA likely will be without both Keenan Allen and Mike Williams after also losing corner JC Jackson (dislocated kneecap) in their last game, a 37-23 home loss to Seattle in Week 7. Austin Ekeler (abdomen) also is dealing with an injury, though he's expected to play. Take the points.

The Falcons enter Week 9 in first place in the NFC South, as everyone predicted coming into the season. They're winning games despite the awful play of the Atlanta defense, which has surrendered more than 1,000 yards in the last two weeks combined. They should continue to struggle against a rested Chargers pass offense that has the best sack rate in the league. But the Chargers defense, which has allowed 200+ rushing yards in two of its last three games, is a great matchup for an Atlanta offense that is desperate to keep the ball on the ground. With this matchup indoors, the conditions are perfect for this to be a track meet.