Are you interested in watching a primetime matchup? Do you want to see two talented football teams battle it out on Sunday night? How would you like to know some information that could really help you fatten up your wallet in time for the holiday season?
Look no further. This blog is tailor-made for NFL bettors. It’s perfect for fans who enjoy watching Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth call the action on NBC each Sunday evening during the NFL season. Heck, as long as you are a human being who likes the prospect of making money, this page is for you.
We get spoiled this Sunday when the Philadelphia Eagles stroll into Seattle to take on the Seahawks. Forget the trash-talking, the dust will settle on the field. We will see two football teams that have high aspirations for this season dogging it out for 60 minutes.
As I was doing my weekly research, I noticed a glaring stat that just stuck out like a sore thumb. The stat was significant enough for me to want to write a blog post to reveal this data to the public who probably hasn’t looked underneath the hood closely enough.
Don’t worry, there is no homework and no labor required on your part. All you have to do is read the following sections and you will be clicking on multiple online sports betting sites itching to get a wager in on this game.
When I bet games in the National Football League, I leave my heart out of it. I rely on the facts to guide me to the promise land. This is real money we are talking about. The purpose of this page is to explain to you where the value is on Sunday night by using the data and evidence as support.
Let’s get started by looking at the matchup on paper from the outside. Once I break it down, I will point out the signature stat that cannot be ignored when it comes to placing our wager.
Philadelphia Eagles (10-1) at Seattle Seahawks (7-4)
Where: CenturyLink Field Seattle, Washington When: Sunday 12/3 8:30 pm EST Opening Line: Philadelphia -6 O/U 48.5
Week 13’s Sunday night football game features two teams that I know are gunning for a win. The Eagles are flying high and want to keep their winning streak alive while the Seattle is trying to maintain footing in the NFC West Division.
It doesn’t take a genius to know how much respect this Eagles team has from the oddsmakers. The Seahawks haven’t opened as 6-point home underdogs since before Russell Wilson was a part of this franchise in 2012.
In fact, only 4 times in Wilson’s career have the Seahawks taken the field at home as underdogs. The Seahawks not only covered the spread in 3 of the 4 games, but they won all 3 games outright. The only game they neither won nor covered as a home underdog was just two weeks ago in week 11 when the Falcons beat the Seahawks 34-31 as a 1-point favorite.
The thing we need to realize is that 2017 is a new year. These aren’t the same old Seahawks with the tormenting “legion of boom” secondary manning the defensive backfield. These sure ain’t the same Philadelphia Eagles that have disappointed and let down their fans in the city of brotherly love for the past 10 years.
Seattle fans need to face the music. The Seahawks have no running game, and their defensive secondary lacks leadership and discipline. I’m not making biased remarks because I don’t like Pete Carroll’s team, I am simply stating the facts based on the product that has been put on the field this season. If you don’t agree with me, let me point out the numbers. You know, those things that don’t have an opinion, they are just the cold hard facts.
Seattle gave up 33 points to the Tennessee Titans back in week 3, ok no problem- they’ll get it fixed. Not so fast. When the Texans lit them up for 38 points in Seattle in front of 67,000 screaming fans, you knew something was off in Seattle.
The Redskins came into town and beat the Seahawks, not to mention Atlanta came in and put up 34 points in a road victory. At 7-4 the Seahawks are by no means out of the playoff picture, but when you consider what has occurred, its hard to like their chances as a Super Bowl contender.
With shutdown cornerback Richard Sherman (torn Achilles) and Kam Chancellor (neck), both sidelined for the remainder of the season, it’s difficult to get amped up and excited if you are a Seattle fan.
Russell Wilson is trying to do whatever he can to piece this thing together. He is currently tied with Drew Brees for the 3rd most passing yards in the league, but the problem is that isn’t how the Seahawks want to play.
Their style has been to “ground and pound” teams with a consistent running game and rely on their defense. They just don’t have the personnel to play this style of football anymore. Russell Wilson leads the entire National Football League with 411 pass attempts. I can promise you this is not what Pete Carroll and his organization want to see.
The test he is going to face this Sunday night may expose Seattle’s ability to sustain drives even more. This Eagles team is no joke.
At 10-1 and second-year quarterback Carson Wentz playing at an elite MVP-like level, fans in Philly have reason to be excited. Philadelphia leads the league in scoring, averaging a colossal 31.9 points per contest. What is even more noteworthy is their defense is third in the entire NFL in defense, allowing only 17.4 points each game.
When you look at the numbers closely, you can see the Eagles aren’t just winning football games. They are completely dominating their competition in every facet of the game. They can throw the ball with the best of them, as shown by Wentz’s NFL-leading 28 touchdown passes. Rushing the ball? No problem. The Eagles are second in the NFL and first in the NFC in rushing yards per game at 147.5 yards.
Defense? Philly allows the 6th least number of yards per game on defense and they are +9 in turnover differential, tied with the Patriots for 3rd best. Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz’s group has 16 interceptions, only surpassed by Baltimore’s 18.
No matter how you slice it, this Eagles team is scary good. They get it done on both sides of the ball. They have a quarterback whose work ethic and leadership are unquestioned by the entire locker room, and boy has it rubbed off on the entire group.
If I was running a football team in the National Football League, the Eagles are about the last team I would want to have to face right now. Clicking on all cylinders would be an understatement, as I have demonstrated by pointing out the statistics. The reason the Eagles are 10-1 is simply because they are a better football team than whoever has been lining up on the other side of the field.
Now that I have told you about both teams, let’s look at a very key stat that tells you more than enough about how you should approach betting the game.
My absolute favorite thing to do in these blog posts is provide STATS. So many sports writers give you their opinions and tell you what they think based on what they saw on television. I do things a bit differently. I don’t put the pressure of having to decide where to wager my hard-earned money on my eyes and my expertise.
I rely on the numbers, the facts. And when it comes to this particular matchup, here are glaring facts:
In 5 home games this season, the Seahawks are 1-4 against the spread (ATS). That means if you bet on the Seahawks in their first five home games, you lost four of them.
In 5 road games this season, the Eagles are 4-1 against the spread. That means if you bet on the Eagles in their first five road games, you won four of them.
If you are a sports bettor, you know about paying attention to trends. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to look at the statistic above and begin to come up with a conclusion.
The fact is, Seattle isn’t the same, dominant team at home as they have been in years past. The public and the oddsmakers are a little behind the learning curve when it comes to making the proper adjustments. If you were intelligent enough to spot this from the outset, you would have been betting against the Seahawks when they play in Seattle and you would be planning a nice vacation with your winnings.
Same thing goes for the Eagles. As good as they have been, they aren’t getting the proper credit from the Vegas sportsbooks and the online betting sites. Philly is 9-2 against the spread this season. The online sites have been getting demolished by people that are sensible enough to follow where the data points them.
The data points to the Eagles covering on the road and the Seahawks failing to cover at home. That adds up to the perfect storm this Sunday evening. The opening line of Philly -6 has already dropped to the Eagles now -5.
Lick your chops, hop on a betting site, and trust the numbers.
It’s fair to say the Philadelphia Eagles are currently playing the best football of any team in the National Football League. Their stats on both sides of the ball proves to me that this team is for real and they aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Their ability to move the chains on the ground or through the air makes them extremely difficult to game plan for. The speed and agility of their defensive front seven make life miserable for opposing QBs. The tenacity of their corners and safeties make receivers think twice before running a crossing pattern over the middle of the field.
The Philadelphia Eagles are rolling, as everyone in the locker room has bought into coach Doug Pederson’s system. The Seahawks just happen to be the next hurdle in their long race towards the Super Bowl.
The Seattle Seahawks on the other hand, they are in a bit of a transition mode. I don’t want to call the situation in Seattle a complete mess, I mean they are 7-4 and in the middle of the playoff race in the NFC.
I have watched enough football and know enough about schemes to know Russell Wilson leading the NFL in passing attempts is not the direction owner Paul Allen wants his team going in. The team was designed and built to manage and control time of possession. The key to achieving this was by playing incredibly stout defense and running the ball down the opponent’s throat.
Unfortunately, injuries to Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor have derailed the Seattle defense to the point that no team is afraid to attack the Seahawks down the field.
In terms of rushing the football, this one is a complete laugher folks. Russell Wilson not only leads the team in rushing with 401 yards, he has nearly double the number of rushing yards as any of their running backs. The fact is, Seattle has no running game whatsoever, which is why they have had to rely on Russell slinging the ball around more than 37 times per game.
With all this being said, I wanted to look closer at the betting numbers to get a firm grasp on this contest. Once I saw that Seattle has been completely inept against the spread at home this season, I dug deeper.
I saw that the online sites and Vegas sportsbooks are refusing to give the Eagles the credit they deserve.
It didn’t take me long to formulate a conclusion for Sunday night football this weekend. It shouldn’t take you long either. Don’t overthink this one ladies and gentlemen, trust the numbers. The numbers point us straight towards placing a wager on the visiting Eagles. Look for the game to be exciting, but expect the Eagles to be too much for the Seahawks to handle.
Enjoy the game!
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