The Philadelphia Eagles have been one of the NFL’s hottest teams. Bettors know all about it.
The Eagles have won eight in a row since their bye and they’ve been nearly as good against the spread. Philadelphia has covered six of seven games against the spread. The only time they won but didn’t cover during that streak was Week 9, when they didn’t cover as 7.5-point favorites against the Jacksonville Jaguars in a 28-23 win. Usually with a high profile like the Eagles, the betting market catches up quickly to a hot streak. The Eagles have been a bit undervalued. They’re a 12.5-point favorite against the Carolina Panthers this week, a big spread that will test if the Eagles can keep their hot streak going.
Here’s a look at Week 14 of the NFL season from a betting perspective, with all odds from BetMGM:
Thursday night: Lions need to hold off Packers
The Lions might need to go 16-1 to get the No. 1 seed in the NFC. They are 11-1, with the 10-2 Eagles right behind them in the conference and the 10-2 Vikings narrowly trailing in the division.
They get a tough test on Thursday night against the Green Bay Packers. The line seems a bit short, with the Lions as just a 3.5-point favorite. The Lions have already dominated the Packers in Green Bay with a 24-14 this season and have been the better team. Detroit has been the best team in the NFL over the course of the season. But Green Bay is one of the NFL’s best teams as well, have a revenge angle and the Lions are dealing with some defensive injuries. The odds say this won’t be an easy game for the Lions. But they need to win to stay a step ahead in the NFC and NFC North races.
Interesting underdog: Can the Rams slow down the Bills?
The Buffalo Bills look unbeatable lately. But as we know, no NFL team is above being upset.
Maybe this is the week the Bills get tested. The Los Angeles Rams are well coached and have enough playmakers to beat good teams. They are 4.5-point underdogs against the Bills on Sunday. The Bills are a very good team, but that still seems like plenty of points against a Rams team still fighting for their playoff lives.
Player prop of the week: Jameis Winston’s passing yards
Here are Jameis Winston’s passing yards in games he has started for the Cleveland Browns this season: 334. 235, 395, 219, 497. That 219-yard effort came against the Pittsburgh Steelers, this week’s Browns opponent, but it was also in a snowstorm. We’ll excuse him for that. Otherwise, the over on Winston’s passing yards has been a pretty good play. This week Winston’s total is 253.5. Considering the Browns are a 6.5-point underdog, they could be passing a lot. They haven’t run the ball well either, so presumably they’ll drop back a lot. Even though the Steelers have perhaps the best defense in the NFL, Winston will have plenty of chances to pass the ball and he’s putting up big numbers this season.
Futures watch: Seahawks look for the sweep
The Seattle Seahawks can take a commanding lead in the NFC West with a win Sunday. The Arizona Cardinals don’t want to go down that easily.
The Seahawks beat the Cardinals 16-6 two weeks ago. It’s rare to see divisional rivals play twice in three weeks, but the rematch is this week. The Cardinals are a 2.5-point home favorite.
The Seahawks have been coming on lately, and have gotten themselves in position for a division title. A win would give them a season sweep over the Cardinals and a two-game lead over Arizona with four weeks to go in the season. It is difficult to beat a comparable team twice in three weeks.
The Seahawks are +150 to win the NFC West at BetMGM and the Cardinals are +170. This game will probably determine if the Seahawks run away with the division (though the Rams, or maybe even the 49ers might still have a say in that) or it’s a race through the final week.
Interim alert: Will the Bears rally with a new coach?
The Chicago Bears fired coach Matt Eberflus after a game management debacle on Thanksgiving. In steps Thomas Brown, who had been the interim offensive coordinator and now gets another promotion.
Will the Bears come alive after a coaching change? They are 4-point underdogs at the San Francisco 49ers, another team that is sliding fast. Chicago had been playing better lately, with narrow losses to the Packers, Vikings and Bears the past three weeks. Maybe a coaching change could be the difference in them winning one of those close games. According to Action Network, teams in their first game with an interim coach since 2003 are 17-21 straight up but 21-17 against the spread. That includes the only other team to fire its coach this season, the Jets. They lost 23-20 against the Buffalo Bills in their first game after firing Robert Saleh, failing to cover the spread.
Sunday night: Will the Chiefs ever lose?
The Kansas City Chiefs have been winning every close game they’re in. Usually that’s not sustainable, but the Chiefs have an edge in one-score games due to superior coaching and quarterback play.
Still, it seems like they will trip up eventually. Will it be against the Los Angeles Chargers? The Chargers are a 4-point underdog at Arrowhead Stadium for Sunday night’s game. The Chargers have been consistently good all season and should find themselves in a close game with the Chiefs. The question is, can the Chargers do what no other team this season has done and beat Kansas City in a tight game?
Monday night: Can Bengals get a much-needed win at Dallas?
It’s nearly impossible to have a quarterback playing as well as Joe Burrow and be 4-8. But the Cincinnati Bengals are having a tremendously disappointing season.
The Bengals aren’t the only team that has let everyone down this season. The Dallas Cowboys are 5-7, though they have won two straight games. The Bengals have a worse record than Dallas but are 5.5-point favorites on the road for Monday night’s game. The betting market is still giving Cincinnati a little too much credit. The Cowboys’ defense has been better since Micah Parsons returned, and maybe that group can at least slow the Bengals down. Cincinnati probably doesn’t deserve as much respect as it is getting for this week’s game.
