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In a week full of odds-anomalies, one weird trend that stands out is Vegas bookies treating the NFL like college football. Sure, if State College X beats up on Coastal Carolina and the like for 3 games, it’s not worth as much as a win over Penn State. But if the NFL is about “parity,” the bookies have forgotten that this time.
The Philadelphia Eagles are 2-1, with a pair of impressive victories over Washington and the New York Giants. Their opponents on Sunday, the L.A. Chargers, stand at 0-3. Charger QB Philip Rivers was a hideous 20-of-40 with 0 touchdowns and 3 interceptions in a 24-10 Week 3 loss to Kansas City.
Yet what do the odds say? Philly is a 1-point underdog.
Who: Philadelphia Eagles at Los Angeles Chargers
When: Sunday, October 1st, 4:05 PM EST
Where: StubHub Center, Los Angeles, CA
Lines: Philly (+1) at L.A. (-1) / O/U Total: (48)
Yes, the “Iggles” are rebuilding after saying goodbye to troublesome coach Chip Kelly, and are not considered a long-term playoff contender in 2017-18. But cast that aside for a moment and look at what your eyes, and the stat sheet, are telling you. There is promise in Philadelphia. You can’t say the same for the LAC at the moment.
In Week 3, the Chargers demonstrated exactly how a talented team plays losing NFL football. Buoyed by a home crowd, the defense sacked Alex Smith 5 times. But the L.A. secondary could not take advantage of a harried opposing QB, giving up a 128 passer rating to Smith in the contest.
RB Melvin Gordon had a good day, rushing for 76 yards and a touchdown. But did that give the ‘Bolts an edge in time-of-possession? No. The defense gave up a near-200 yard day to tailback Kareem Hunt. Given limited turns and a slipping defense, Rivers was a fright.
The Eagles are built to take advantage of weakness in run defense, with LaGarrette Blount finding his stride at 4.3 yards per carry. Carson Wentz is a more mobile and slippery QB than Smith at this stage of his career, and hot TE target Zach Ertz will give the young passer a quick option on play-action throws.
Finally, Philly’s defense can replicate some of the effective tactics of the Chiefs. The Eagles held the Redskins to just 64 yards rushing and the Giants to 49. If there’s one thing an 0-3 Rivers is deathly afraid of his offense becoming this Sunday, it’s one-dimensional.
We’re taking the Eagles before the spread can shift again. Action is not moving the point spread very far – while some books are giving (+1.5), others are weighing payout on the opening spread toward Philadelphia, indicating that Vegas might be starting to figure out its mistake before kickoff.
Philly and (+1) is a great bet. We give the visitors a 60%-70% chance to prevail outright this Sunday.