Statschecker: Eagles At Packers: 5 Things To Consider
Heading into the season, many NFL pundits had the Eagles pegged as one of their Super Bowl favorites. Things haven’t gone that well for Philadelphia in the early going. A rash of injuries has caused Carson Wentz and company to limp to an uninspiring 1-2 start. They will be desperate to turn their season around on Thursday night in Green Bay.
Things for the Packers have gone much better in the early going. Aaron Rodgers and the offense aren’t clicking on all cylinders yet, but the defense has been fantastic. Green Bay sports a 3-0 record on the back of that revamped defense. Matt LaFleur will want his team to come out and make a statement in front of a national TV audience on Thursday Night Football.
This is a really intriguing game for every sort of football fan. It’s particularly interesting for bettors trying to find value in the match-up. As always, you should be checking out our Statschecker site to get all the information you need before finalizing your betting strategy. In this piece, I’ll share five nuggets that you can get from the comprehensive site.
1. Thursday night games are weird
Whenever teams are forced to play on short weeks it opens up the chance for an upset. To that end, it’s interesting to learn that the underdogs have won the last four Thursday Night Football match-ups. That piece of information might suggest you should lay your money on the Eagles and the 4.5 points they’ll be getting at Lambeau Field.
2. The Packers aren’t dominant at night
You might be inclined to think Green Bay plays its best football in front of their raucous crowds after the lights go down. That just isn’t the case. The Packers have actually failed to cover in each of their last four night games at home.
That’s another sign pointing you towards taking the Eagles and the points. Be careful reading too much into the past here. The Packers defense is currently a much more disruptive unit than it’s been in recent years. It’s very possible that unit can suffocate a Philadelphia offense that is struggling without several injured playmakers.
3. The Eagles don’t light it up on the road
Philadelphia has a very talented offense that can cause problems for every defense in the NFL. It doesn’t play all that well away from Philadelphia though. The Eagles have failed to hit the over during their last four road games.
Combine that with the fact that Green Bay is still trying to find its way on offense and it’s easy to envision this game being a relatively low-scoring affair. Be careful making any bet on the over/under though. Short weeks tend to lead to more defensive mistakes. A few big plays by both teams could inflate the game’s score line.
4. Watch the injury reports closely
The Packers enter this game enjoying relatively good health, but the same can’t be said for the Eagles. Keep a very close eye on injury reports emanating from Philadelphia as you consider how to bet this game.
Alshon Jeffery is probably the biggest name player who has a chance to return for the Eagles this week. DeSean Jackson is a longshot, at best, to play. Wentz’s offense looks much more dangerous with Jeffery as the No. 1 wide receiver.
Cornerback Ronald Darby could also be a massive miss for the Eagles. The Packers aren’t throwing the ball as much as they have in recent years, but if Darby is out they’re going to go to work on his replacement. This line may fluctuate right up until game time based on which injured Eagles can go.
5. The Eagles will be desperate
Philadelphia hasn’t started 1-3 since the 2015 season and they will do everything in their power to avoid that ugly record in 2019. Expect Doug Pederson to pull out all the stops in this game. If you love trick plays, this might be a terrific contest for you.
Emotion doesn’t mean quite as much in the NFL game as it does in college, but it will be a factor on Thursday night. Keep a watchful eye on whether or not Green Bay can match the Eagles’ energy in the opening minutes.
Lean towards the Eagles to cover
This is one of those games where we believe the favorites will win, but won’t score enough points to cover the spread. As such, it’s a really straightforward betting suggest for you. Take the Eagles +4. We like them to keep this game really close, but Green Bay is going to edge them by a field goal late in the fourth quarter.