Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots
Friday, 8/15/14, 7:30 PM EST
Opening Point Spread: New England -3
Current Betting Line: New England -3
Opening Total: 45.5
Current Total: 45.5
Odds Courtesy of 5Dimes
Philadelphia will be working with New England in holding joint practices for the second consecutive training camp, as it looks to bounce back from a 34-28 defeat to the Chicago Bears as one-point road favorites in their preseason opener last week. The Eagles were very impressed with backup quarterback Mark Sanchez, who completed seven of 10 passes for 79 yards and guided the offense to two touchdowns, which can’t be ignored when looking over the NFL betting lines, while rookie second-round receiver Jordan Matthews has been the star of the summer thus far.
The Eagles are certainly going to be one of the more dynamic offenses in the league under second-year head coach Chip Kelly, especially since running back LeSean McCoy is extremely motivated to potentially win the NFL MVP award. Philadelphia can’t expect starting signal-caller Nick Foles to throw just two interceptions again, but Kelly is anticipating a more efficient unit due to the progress he’s shown during the offseason. On the other side of the ball, the roster seems better suited in playing a 3-4 alignment then it did a season ago.
New England elected to sit leader Tom Brady in its exhibition opener, which resulted in a 23-6 setback to the Washington Redskins as 2.5-point road underdogs—getting out-gained by a sizable 117-yard margin. The Patriots are 11-10 SU in 21 all-time meetings against the Eagles before the regular season, while they own a 33-32 combined mark versus NFC East division members overall. Backup signal-caller Ryan Mallett has thrown just four passes in the regular season since being drafted in the third round in 2011, which is why it’s not surprising that he connected on just five of 12 throws versus the Redskins.
The Patriots are expected to be more defensive-minded than recent years, especially with the offseason addition of star cornerback Darrelle Revis, which allows head coach Bill Belichick and his staff to get creative in stopping opposing offenses. New England has eight former first-rounders on defense, and 15 guys drafted in the top 100.
Sports bettors will likely back the Patriots due to their 3-1 ATS run in their second game of the preseason the previous four years.
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