The NFC East champion Philadelphia Eagles will face the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday in a rematch of the NFC Championship Game from a few seasons ago. The 49ers had a chance to earn the No. 1 seed in the NFC, but lost to the Seattle Seahawks 13-3 in Week 18 and fell to sixth place.
Ben Fawkes collects the oddsmakers’ quotes from all the games and our team of NFL handicappers offer their favorite game bets.
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Odds are given by Bette MGM.
What are the oddsmakers saying?
“As expected, all the money is here for the Eagles. We started -3 and got to Philadelphia -5. While injuries continue to plague the 49ers and the defense hasn’t been great, I can’t remember the last time the Eagles had four great quarters on offense. The overall score dropped from 46.5 to 44.5.” — Thomas Gable, Director of Sports Betting at The Borgata
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“We saw some intense action from the Eagles in this game. We opened at -3.5, moved up to -5.5, and the overall score dropped from 46.5 to 44.5. This could be when the wheels fell off for the 49ers. They have a light schedule, but have a lot of injuries on defense. Brock Purdy and his team were able to beat lower-scoring teams, but they also got outplayed against the Seahawks.” — Joey Feazel, director of NFL trades at Caesars Sportsbook
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best choice
Matt Russell: It’s been five games since Jalen Hurts rushed for a touchdown, but it’s been five games since the Eagles found themselves in a must-win game. So while the chance of scoring an injury has gradually increased as his rushing activity has diminished, now is the time for a young Eagles team that rested last week for the sole purpose of getting ready for the playoffs.
That should mean Hurts’ legs are ready as well, and the page in the playbook that says “push push” should be open again. Hurts scored 14 times last season and five more times in the playoffs. The Eagles shut down his legs after scoring eight rushing touchdowns in the first two-thirds of the season, but in add-on odds rather than his usual odds list, let’s go with Hurts trying to get back into the end zone now that the game is important again for Philadelphia.
Bet: Jalen gets injured at any time and scores a touchdown (+125)
Michael Feder: Spotting sharp moves is a principled part of my NFL betting approach. The NFL markets are very efficient, which means digesting handicap moves and understanding the direction throughout the week is a significant value-add when betting.
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In this game, both the Eagles and the underdogs are clearly being betting, with the odds going from -3 for the Eagles to -5.5, and the overall odds dropping from 46.5 to 44.5. When a number deviates from 3, it becomes difficult to chase the favorite number with a larger number. However, key data charts still suggest betting on game totals is feasible.
Over the past three NFL seasons, 43 and 44 have been the most common scoring results in the NFL. On the other hand, dropping from 46.5 to 44.5 means the numbers cross 45 and 46, neither of which are critical numbers or within the NFL’s 15 most common scoring outcomes. From a football perspective, both teams are run-oriented teams and both will rely on superstar running backs Saquon Barkley and Christian McCaffrey.
In an outdoor playoff setting, the best bets on this game are the bets.
Bet: Under 44.5