Patriots vs. Eagles Odds: NFL Week 2 Preseason Picks & Predictions
NFL betting analyst Nick Galaida previews the Week 2 preseason matchup between the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles. Follow along as he breaks down the odds and gives a free pick for Thursday night’s game. Also don’t miss out on this ridiculous NFL welcome promo, a $5,000 risk-free bet from Caesars!
Patriots vs. Eagles Odds
| Patriots Odds | -1.5 |
| Eagles Odds | +1.5 |
| Over/Under | 39 |
| Date | Thursday, Aug. 19 |
| Time | 7:30 pm ET |
| TV | NFL Network |
| Odds accurate as of Tuesday at Caesars | |
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On Thursday night, the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles will kick-off the second full week of NFL Preseason action at Lincoln Financial Field. Oddsmakers have the Patriots as slight favorites in this matchup, but let’s take a closer look at the rosters and how seriously we expect each team to try and win this game to see where bettors can find value.
New England Patriots
The Patriots opened up their 2021 exhibition slate with a 22-13 victory against the Washington Football Team. New England is likely to expand the playing time for their starters this week against the Eagles. In their opener, Mac Jones completed 13 of 19 passes for 87 yards, but Cam Newton only attempted seven throws. Expect Newton to get more reps in this one as the competition for the starting job begins to heat up. It would be surprising if Jones was given a legitimate opportunity to win the job to begin the year, but Belichick will unquestionably make sure there is a healthy competition, which should bring the best out of both players in this game.
New England is now 7-2 in their last nine preseason football games and has had a winning record in three of the last four years during which preseason games were played. Head Coach Bill Belichick has earned his pristine reputation as a consequence of winning 17 AFC East division titles, appearing in 13 AFC Championship Games and nine Super Bowls—winning a record six titles. However, his winning culture, dubbed “The Patriot Way,” is built during training camp and the preseason. Although these games are technically meaningless in the standings, Belichick understands that there is value in taking these contests seriously. Bettors should expect him to have his team ready to go on Thursday evening.
Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia lost their preseason opener to their cross-state counterparts, the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Eagles led that game 13-0, but Pittsburgh’s depth proved problematic for Philadelphia in the second-half, scoring 17 unanswered points in a 24-16 Steelers’ victory. The Eagles have only won two of their last ten preseason games. Although the previous nine games were played under Head Coach Doug Pederson, it appears that the organizational focus on winning exhibition games remains tenuous under new leadership as well.
Jalen Hurts completed only three of seven passes against Pittsburgh last week, but should get substantially more reps in the second week of action. Although he is the presumed starting quarterback for the Eagles, having him on the field for longer might not actually improve Philadelphia’s chance of winning on Thursday. According to Pro Football Focus, Hurts graded as the second-worst quarterback in the NFL in 2020, out of 38 qualified players.
Still, Hurts is a young player with plenty of upside and appears to have the work ethic necessary to improve his skills. In the first of two joint practices with the Patriots this week, it was reported that Hurts was the best quarterback on the field, including Jones and Newton for New England. Hurts will look to continue building rapport with second-year wide receiver Jalen Reagor when the action kicks-off later this week, but if the Eagles sit their starters in the second-half, depth could once again be an issue.
Patriots vs. Eagles Picks
In the preseason, oddsmakers have very little special insight into how the action will unfold—evident by the fact that 14 of the 16 games in Week 1 hit the under. When looking at spreads, sportsbooks usually price the more talented team as slight favorites, but the reality is that the more talented team does not always win during the preseason. More often, the winning team is the one with key position battles and young players, who are working tirelessly to secure a position on the roster.
In this matchup, New England’s quarterback competition likely gives them a leg-up on Philadelphia. Expect Newton and Jones to come ready to play and for Belichick to open up the playbook, so that he can conduct a thorough evaluation of his options heading into the regular season. Bettors should put their faith in the Patriots to continue their preseason dominance.
Pick: Patriots -1.5 (-110)
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