Tag: opening line

Eagles will start QB Jalen Hurts against Cowboys, open as 1.5-point favorites

Doug Pederson says Jalen Hurts will start at QB Week 16 for the Eagles. – Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) December 21, 2020 The Dallas Cowboys (5-9) couldn’t beat Carson Wentz earlier in the season, now they’ll get a chance to take down his …

The Dallas Cowboys (5-9) couldn’t beat Carson Wentz earlier in the season, now they’ll get a chance to take down his replacement. As all expected, Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson ended his coy routine on Monday and announced that second-round rookie Jalen Hurts would get his third consecutive start in Week 16. Hurts won his first game and played extremely well in Week 15’s road loss to the Arizona Cardinals that dropped the Eagles record to 4-9-1 and moved them into the NFC East basement.

Both teams have distant playoff chances, and it will be a battle of the backups as Andy Dalton looks to give the Cowboys their first three-game winning streak since the opening three weeks of the 2019 season. Dalton himself hasn’t won three straight games since Week 2 of the 2018 season and in three consecutive weeks since the Cincinnati Bengals opened the 2015 season 8-0. BetMGM has the Eagles as 1.5-point road favorites in this contest.

In the first matchup between the clubs, Dallas started rookie Ben DiNucci after Dalton was knocked out of the previous contest with a concussion against Washington. DiNucci looked completely lost under center in a 23-9 defeat that saw rookie corner Trevon Diggs, drafted ahead of Hurts in Round 2, intercept Wentz twice in the end zone.

The Cowboys are now 3-4 with Dalton starting, and the QB has thrown for 11 touchdowns against six interceptions though he’s throwing for the lowest yards-per-attempt number (6.1) in his entire career.

Hurts meanwhile has taken over for an inept Wentz and injected life into a listless Eagles offense that was a sack and turnover factory. Hurts has thrown for over 500 yards with four scores and no picks in two games, and also ran for 169 yards and another score. He has fumbled four times, which could bode well for a Dallas defense that all of a sudden are turnover machines, forcing seven in the last two games including five recovered fumbles.

The two teams will match up in the late afternoon game on FOX.

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Opening odds favor Saints to beat the Vikings by more than a TD

The New Orleans Saints are favored by more than a touchdown over the Minnesota Vikings in their wild card round matchup in the 2019 playoffs

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The NFL has set its playoff schedule for next week’s wild card round games, and the New Orleans Saints are readying for a rematch against the Minnesota Vikings, who eliminated them in 2017.

That was a returning of the favor from their last postseason matchup in 2009, when the Saints beat Minnesota to advance to (and win) the Super Bowl. The Vikings didn’t follow New Orleans’ example, however, instead getting run off the field by the Philadelphia Eagles. Minnesota went on to miss the playoffs the next year with an 8-7-1 record, while the Saints beat that same Eagles team twice by a combined score of 68-21. Makes you think that maybe the wrong team won back in 2017, but let’s not dwell on it.

Per the latest odds from BetMGM, the Saints are 7.5-point home favorites over the Vikings for this latest entry in their long-running series. With an initial over/under of 46.5, that implies a final score in the neighborhood of Saints 28, Vikings 20. In other words, bettors are expecting a competitive game, with New Orleans ultimately coming out on top. We’ll see soon whether Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins can finally have a good game on a big stage, and test how well Minnesota’s running game performs against a staunch Saints defensive front.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Road-warrior Saints barely favored over Titans in opening Week 16 odds

The New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans are preparing for their Week 16 kickoff, and the Saints are favored per the opening betting line

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The New Orleans Saints must hit the road for the final two weeks of the regular season, visiting the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium in Week 16 and then the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium in the Week 17 finale. The Saints have traveled exceptionally well this season, losing just one of their first six road games. But they’re facing a desperate Titans squad that needs a win to remain in the AFC playoff picture, and without the benefit of a normal week after playing on Monday night.

Per the opening line from BetMGM, the Saints are still favored over the Titans, but barely. The Titans are 2.5-point home underdogs against New Orleans, with an over/under of 50.5 points — one of the week’s highest. That suggests a final score around Saints 27, Titans 24. That’s as close as wins get in the NFL.

It’s going to be fascinating to see whether Ryan Tannehill can continue making magic for Tennessee. The backup-turned-savior has played well since being named the starter, going 6-2 while leading the NFL in yards gained per pass attempt (9.5). He’s scored 17 touchdown passes while throwing just 6 interceptions, and added 4 touchdown runs on the ground. But he hasn’t exactly been challenged often, with just two of his last eight opponents owning a winning record.

Pressure couldn’t be higher on each of these teams. The Saints must win to keep their hopes of securing a top-two playoff seed alive. The Titans need a win to even get to the playoffs. Neither squad is going to give up an inch.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Cowboys open Week 16 road favorites over Eagles in NFCE championship

The Cowboys are going on the road with a chance to bring the division title back home with them.

The Dallas Cowboys have been having one of the biggest roller coaster seasons in recent memory. They won three in a row, then lost three in a row. Win some, lose some but on Sunday they won again, and won big to even their record at 7-7 on the season after thrashing the playoff-hopeful Los Angeles Rams, 44-21.

The game wasn’t even that close, but the victory pulled them back into a tie for first place in the NFC East with the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles once again needed a final-drive touchdown to defeat a woeful NFC East rival, this time the Washington Redskins. Their two-game win streak puts them in control of their own destiny as well.

If the Eagles win out, they are NFC East champs and the four seed in the conference playoffs. Dallas however doesn’t even need to win out, as they have a magic number of two thanks to an early-season blowout over the Eagles. They can clinch with a win Sunday or could also get in with some Week 17 magic as well.

Dallas now has a 67.8% chance of winning the division, according to FPI.

According to the opening betting lines from Bet MGM, they stand a good chance to put a bow on things Sunday afternoon.

The opening line has the Cowboys as -2.5 road favorites to defend their division crown.

The Cowboys are currently 4-0 against the NFC East on the season, and none of the four contests have been particularly close.

In Week 1, Dallas romped the Giants 35-17 and they followed that up with a 31-21 win over Washington in Week 2. Both of those games featured late, meaningless scores by the loser, making things closer than they appeared.

Dallas went on to run roughshod over the Eagles, 37-10, in Week 7, then came out the bye week and lambasted the Giants again in Week 9, this time 37-18.

Four NFC East games,  total score 140-66.

Jason Garrett might struggle against quality opponents, but he owns the ones he knows the most.

Garrett has a 11-8 lifetime record against the Eagles, including four in a row, and a 37-19 record against the NFC East since taking over as interim coach in 2010 before assuming full head coaching powers in 2011.

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Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

Cowboys open as home favorites vs Los Angeles Rams, but line is shrinking

The Dallas Cowboys’ disappointing season has still yet to reach the Las Vegas sharps. The club sits with a 6-7 record on the season, with just as good a chance of finishing the year under .500 as they do of winning the NFC East. In fact, the two …

The Dallas Cowboys’ disappointing season has still yet to reach the Las Vegas sharps. The club sits with a 6-7 record on the season, with just as good a chance of finishing the year under .500 as they do of winning the NFC East. In fact, the two might not be mutually exclusive. The line setters have had a healthy respect for the Cowboys’ potential all season, having favored them to win 12 of the previous 13 contests thus far.

The only game they weren’t favored in was their Week 12 road contest against the New England Patriots. In every home game, they’ve existed on the right side of the ledger. Somehow, even with the game against the rejuvenated Los Angeles Rams (8-5) on the horizon for Sunday afternoon, the Cowboys are home favorites for the seventh time this season.

But the line is shrinking.

Most outlets had the team starting as four-point favorites when the lines opened for Week 15. Following the Rams strong performance in a 28-12 win over their NFC West Rival Seattle, who entered the game with a 10-2 record, the line has been shrinking. It was down to -3.5 early Monday morning according to Bet MGM online, and in the blink of an eye it’s already down to -2.5.

With an over/under set at 47.5, Bet MGM is expecting a moderately high-scoring affair.

The game will be a rematch of last season’s NFC Divisional round matchup, when Dallas traveled to LA and got their pride handed to them, poured over ice. Head coach Sean McVay used a combination of Todd Gurley and C.J. Anderson to rush for over 250 yards on Dallas’ defense, and Rod Marinelli and Kris Richard’s unit really hasn’t recovered since.

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