Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Detroit Lions vs Atlanta Falcons Preview, Prediction, and Betting Odds for NFL Preseason Week 1

Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Detroit Lions play their second preseason game of the year in week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons. Last week, the Lions were thrashed pretty badly by the Los Angeles Chargers in the Hall of Fame game, and will look to perform much better in Atlanta.

One of the major concerns from last week was the 5 turnovers, including 3 interceptions and 2 fumbles, which hurt the Lions’ offense, so fixing that will be priority number one. Detroit’s pass rush will also need to step up after just a 1-sack performance against the Chargers.

Uniform combo for Atlanta! pic.twitter.com/KJBa9qcf2e
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) August 8, 2025

On the other side of things, the Falcons are getting ready for their first preseason game of the season. Head coach Raheem Morris has indicated that the plan for the preseason is to give more reps to the younger players. Additionally, he also suggested that the rookies should see more game time, particularly edge rusher Jalon Walker and safety Xavier Watts.

Detroit Lions vs Atlanta Falcons NFL Preseason Week 1 Prediction

Jared Goff and the other key starters for the Lions are not expected to play a major role, and Dan Campbell has already stated that quarterback Hendon Hooker will be under center. Hooker looked pretty shaky in the previous game, so he will have to get going quickly tonight.

The Falcons will also be without Michael Penix Jr. and Kirk Cousins, for that matter, so most of the snaps should go to Easton Stick and Emory Jones. On paper, the Falcons should be the underdogs in this matchup, but the way Detroit played last game, anything can happen.

Match Prediction: Lions win 20-13

The Falcons just released their first depth chart of the 2025 preseason. It comes before the Falcons' preseason opener against the Lions on Friday (7 p.m. ET).

🔗 MORE: https://t.co/Pn2WSXaqzz
— Terrin Waack (@TerrinWaack) August 6, 2025

Detroit Lions vs Atlanta Falcons NFL Preseason Week 1 Betting Odds

As per the odds on BetMGM, the Detroit Lions are favored to win the match. The money line for this match shows the Lions to have nearly a 70% chance of winning. (Sourced from BetMGM).

Here are some of the best picks for the week 1 preseason game between the Lions and the Falcons.

Bet	Atlanta Falcons	Detroit Lions
Moneyline – Including Overtime	17/10	4/9

The over under for points as per BerMGM is as follows:

Total Points – Over 32.5: 17/20
Total Points – Under 32.5: 19/20

Falcons Total Points – Over 14.5: 19/20
Falcons Total Points – Under 14.5: 41/50

Lions Total Points – Over 17.5: 19/20
Lions Total Points – Under 17.5: 17/20

Point Spread Falcons +3.5: 10/11
Point Spread Lions -3.5: 22/25

(According to BetMGM: BetMGM offers exclusive promo codes, bonus deals, and accurate odds for users upon signing up. Use BetMGM to ace your betting game in all sports!)

Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

2025 NFL Preseason Week 1

Atlanta Falcons

Detroit Lions

NFL

Devavrat Kulkarni

nfl

I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!