Philadelphia Eagles vs. Seattle Seahawks Odds, Prediction, & Pick
Eagles vs. Seahawks Odds
| Eagles Odds | -4 |
| Seahawks Odds | +4 |
| Over/Under | 45.5 |
| Date | Mon, Dec. 18 |
| Time | 8:15 p.m. |
| TV | ESPN |
Week 15 of the NFL season will wrap-up on Monday Night Football with a matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks. Entering play, Jalen Hurts and the Eagles are a half-game behind the 49ers for the 1-seed in the NFC playoff picture. Geno Smith and the Seahawks can move into a tie for the final Wild Card position in the conference with a victory tonight.
Ahead of kickoff in this matchup, oddsmakers have priced the Eagles as 3.5-point favorites on the spread. The total for this contest is set at over/under 44.5 points.
Let’s take a deeper look at the matchup to see where NFL bettors can find value at sportsbooks in this contest.
Philadelphia Eagles
Jalen Hurts “likely to play”
According to Jimmy Kempski, Jalen Hurts is “likely to play” this evening against the Seahawks, though it remains to be seen how effective he is after not practicing this week due to an illness. Hurts did not fly with the team to Seattle, instead traveling in a separate charter in an effort to keep him from spreading his illness to anyone else on the team.
Even with Hurts at full strength, the Eagles offense has been less than stellar since their bye week. From Week 11 to Week 14, Philadelphia’s offense ranked 14th in EPA/play and 21st in success rate, scoring fewer than 20 points twice and more than 21 points only once.
Further complicating matters this evening is the fact that starting right guard Cam Jurgens has been ruled out. In his place, Sua Opeta is expected to get the start. Opeta is a serviceable replacement in pass protection, but he is among the worst run blockers in the NFL, ranking 68th out of 76 players at his position in run block grade in 2023, per PFF. From Week 5 to Week 8, with Opeta on the field, the Eagles ranked 16th in rush EPA/play and 17th in rush success rate.
Eagles defense fighting injury bug heading into Week 15
Cornerback Avonte Maddox, safety Justin Evans, linebacker Nakobe Dean, linebacker Zach Cunningham, and cornerback Darius Slay will each be in street clothes tonight against the Seahawks. Maddox is the team’s primary slot defender, but has not played since leaving the game early in Week 2. Neither Evans nor Dean have played since Week 9.
In four games since their bye, the Eagles defense has been ineffective, to say the least. From Week 11 to Week 14, they ranked 30th in EPA/play and 28th in success rate. Tonight will be the first time since Week 6 that the secondary unit will be without Slay, who is the team’s top coverage cornerback.
Seattle Seahawks
What to expect from Drew Lock
Drew Lock started last week against the 49ers, earning his first meaningful reps in a regular season game since 2021. He finished the day 22-of-31 for 269 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns, though he also threw two interceptions and took four sacks.
Lock ended Week 14 ranked 9th out of 30 signal callers in EPA/play, but only 21st in success rate. He had four turnover-worthy-plays through the air, which was tied for the 2nd-most of any quarterback to take the field. He ranked 26th in pressure-to-sack rate, meaning that he often took a sack when the defense was able to generate pressure on him.
Simply, Lock is not capable of being a starting quarterback in the NFL. That being said, he has a chance to put together a decent performance on Monday against a Philadelphia secondary unit that will be without multiple starters. The key to the game for Seattle’s offense will be Lock avoiding costly turnovers and negative plays.
Seattle defense missing key pieces on Monday
Seattle will be without a number of key defensive players tonight, but arguably none more important than edge defender Uchenna Nwosu, who last played in Week 7. During the first six weeks of the season, Seattle’s defense ranked 13th in EPA/play and 17th in success rate, with Nwosu on the field. Since Week 8, the Seahawks defense ranks 30th in EPA/play and 29th in success rate. They have been particularly poor against the run during that stretch, ranking 32nd in EPA/play and 30th in success rate.
The likely absences of cornerback Devon Witherspoon and safety Jamal Adams only further reduce the amount of talent that Seattle has on the defensive side of the ball heading into this matchup.
Eagles vs. Seahawks – Picks & Predictions
If there is one certainty heading into this contest, it is that neither team has much talent on the defensive side of the ball. Since Week 11, the Eagles and Seahawks rank 30th and 31st, respectively in defensive EPA/play. They both rank 28th or worse in defensive success rate during that stretch as well.
Drew Lock and company got off to a fast start last week against the 49ers, scoring 10 points in the first quarter. Jalen Hurts and the Eagles have scored at least six points in three of their four games since their bye. Expect a fast start between these two teams tonight, with both defenses struggling to get off of the field.
PICK: 1st Quarter, OVER 8.5 Points (-105, Fanatics Sportsbook)
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