All the Philadelphia Eagles have to do late Sunday afternoon to satisfy their fans and bettors is pull off the same reverse against the Seahawks as they did vs. the Cowboys two weeks ago.
The Eagles soundly defeated Dallas, 17-9, on Dec. 22 to undo the harm of a 27-point loss to the Cowboys in October, and the win led them into the playoffs after a final-week win over the Giants.
Now, in the wild card round, Philadelphia (9-7) is a home underdog against a Seahawks squad (11-5) that won 17-9 at Lincoln Financial Field on Nov. 24. But the Eagles were also a home underdog vs. the Cowboys.
Can history repeat itself, of sorts, for this Eagles team that has won the hearts of fans by overcoming injuries?
Seahawks favored by 1.5 to 2 points
Despite riding a four-game winning streak into the postseason, while Seattle dropped three of its final four, Philly stood as a home ‘dog of 1.5 points at most Pennsylvania online sites Friday morning. FOX Bet was an exception, favoring Seattle by 2.
On the moneyline, the Eagles could be bet anywhere from +102 (Unibet, Parx, BetRivers) to +106 (FanDuel, DraftKings). You may want to keep in mind, before going crazy, that the Seahawks have won not just the last matchup between the two teams, but the last five.
The over/under ranged from 44.5 (FOX Bet) to 45.5 (FanDuel), while most sites posted 45. (The total has gone under in the last six Eagles home games.)
The plain fact is neither team is at its strongest due to over-abundance of injury compared to other teams around the NFL.
The Eagles are wondering if they will have Zach Ertz and Miles Sanders healthy for the game, on top of all of the other injuries they have dealt with to receivers, linemen, etc., during the year.
The Seahawks, meanwhile, lost their top three running backs, relying in a nail-biting loss to the 49ers last Sunday night on unheralded rookie Travis Homer and the return after more than a year’s absence from the NFL of Marshawn Lynch.
Wentz, Wilson likely to decide this game
What the two teams still do have are top-shelf quarterbacks in Carson Wentz and Russell Wilson, with the former playing his best football in the recent stretch despite a dearth of quality receivers. This meeting seems unlikely to provide the Wentz who threw two interceptions and fumbled the ball away twice vs. the Seahawks in Week 12.
The betting sites are favoring Wentz, at least statistically.
DraftKings places Wentz at -137, Wilson at +110, in terms of who will have more passing yards.
FanDuel, meanwhile, puts the o/u on passing yards at 266.5 for Wentz, 246.5 for Wilson.
Those are among an array of special bets that are already offered, and there will be more available by Sunday afternoon through your apps.
Eagles title could pay off at 100/1
One offer currently available that could tantalize Eagles fans is a boost offered by DraftKings on their chance of winning the Super Bowl. You can bet them at 100/1, but only with a maximum wager of $5 to win $500.
Most sites have the Eagles at 30/1 or thereabouts to improbably take home their second Lombardi Trophy in three years.
To win the NFC, Philadelphia is listed anywhere from 12/1 to 14/1, with DraftKings again being the place to go for the latter.
BetRivers has one option its rivals don’t, on whether the Eagles will just reach the NFC conference final, regardless of whether they win that game. They can be bet to do that at 5/1.
Photo by Eric Hartline / USA Today Sports
