Table of Contents
The Philadelphia Eagles have been one of the most popular teams in the NFL. The bettors know everything.
The Eagles have won eight in a row since their bye and have been almost as good against the spread. Philadelphia has covered six of seven games against the spread. The only time they won but didn’t cover during that streak was in Week 9, when they didn’t cover as 7.5-point favorites against the Jacksonville Jaguars in a 28-23 win. Typically with a high profile like the Eagles, the betting market catches up quickly with a hot streak. The Eagles have been a bit underrated. They are 12.5-point favorites against the Carolina Panthers this week, a huge gap that will test whether the Eagles can keep up their hot streak.
Here’s a look at Week 14 of the NFL season from a betting perspective, with all the odds. by BetMGM:
Thursday night: Lions need to contain Packers
The Lions may need to go 16-1 to clinch the No. 1 seed in the NFC. They are 11-1, with the 10-2 Eagles right behind them in the conference and the 10-2 Vikings far behind them in the division.
They will have a tough test Thursday night against the Green Bay Packers. The line seems a little short, with the Lions only 3.5 point favorites. The Lions already dominated the Packers in Green Bay with a 24-14 victory this season. Detroit has been the best team in the NFL all season long. But Green Bay is also one of the best teams in the NFL, it has a revenge angle and the Lions are dealing with some defensive injuries. Odds are this won’t be an easy game for the Lions. But they need to win to stay one step ahead in the NFC and NFC North races.
Interesting loser: Can the Rams stop the Bills?
The Buffalo Bills have looked unbeatable lately. But as we know, no NFL team is above being upset.
Maybe this is the week the Bills get tested. The Los Angeles Rams are well coached and have enough playmakers to beat good teams. They are 4.5-point underdogs against the Bills on Sunday. The Bills are a very good team, but it still feels like a lot of points against a Rams team still fighting for their playoff lives.
Player of the Week Prop: Jameis Winston Air Yards
Here are Jameis Winston’s passing yards in games he started for the Cleveland Browns this season: 334, 235, 395, 219, 497. That 219-yard effort came against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Browns’ opponent this week, but It was also in a snowfall. We’ll apologize for that. Otherwise, Winston’s air yardage over was a pretty good play. This week Winston’s total is 253.5. Considering the Browns are 6.5-point underdogs, there could be a lot going on. They also haven’t run the ball well, so presumably they will regress a lot. Although the Steelers have perhaps the best defense in the NFL, Winston will have plenty of opportunities to pass the ball and is putting up big numbers this season.
Future Watch: Seahawks aim for sweep
The Seattle Seahawks can take a commanding lead in the NFC West with a win on Sunday. The Arizona Cardinals don’t want to go down that easily.
The Seahawks beat the Cardinals 16-6 two weeks ago. It’s rare to see division rivals play twice in three weeks, but the rematch is this week. The Cardinals are 2.5-point favorites at home.
The Seahawks have been making strides lately and have put themselves in position to win a division title. A win would give them a season sweep over the Cardinals and a two-game lead over Arizona with four weeks left in the season. It’s hard to beat a comparable team twice in three weeks.
The Seahawks are +150 to win the NFC West at BetMGM and the Cardinals are +170. This game will likely determine whether the Seahawks take the division (although the Rams, or maybe even the 49ers could still have a say in that) or if it’s a race to the final week.
Tentative alert: Will the Bears bounce back with a new coach?
The Chicago Bears fired coach Matt Eberflus after a game management debacle on Thanksgiving Day. In steps Thomas Brown, who had been the interim offensive coordinator and now gets another promotion.
Will the Bears come alive after a coaching change? They are 4-point underdogs against the San Francisco 49ers, another team that is falling quickly. Chicago had been playing better lately, with narrow losses to the Packers, Vikings and Lions in the last three weeks. Maybe a coaching change could make the difference in them winning one of those close games. According to the Action NetworkThe teams in their first game with an interim coach since 2003 are 17-21 in direct games but 21-17 against the spread. That includes the only other team to fire its coach this season, the Jets. They lost 23-20 to the Buffalo Bills in their first game after sacking Robert Saleh, failing to cover the gap.
Sunday night: Will the Chiefs ever lose?
The Kansas City Chiefs have been winning every close game they have participated in. That’s usually not sustainable, but the Chiefs have an advantage in one-score games due to superior coaching and quarterback play.
Even so, it seems that they will end up stumbling. Will it be against the Los Angeles Chargers? The Chargers are 4-point underdogs at Arrowhead Stadium for Sunday night’s game. The Chargers have been consistently good all season and should find themselves in a close game with the Chiefs. The question is, can the Chargers do what no other team has done this season and beat Kansas City in a close game?
Monday night: Can the Bengals get a much-needed win in Dallas?
It’s almost impossible to have a quarterback play as well as Joe Burrow and go 4-8. But the Cincinnati Bengals are having a tremendously disappointing season.
The Bengals aren’t the only team that has disappointed everyone this season. The Dallas Cowboys are 5-7, although they have won two straight games. The Bengals have a worse record than Dallas, but are 5.5-point road favorites for Monday night’s game. The betting market is still giving Cincinnati too much credit. The Cowboys defense has improved since Micah Parsons returned, and maybe that group can at least slow down the Bengals. Cincinnati probably doesn’t deserve as much respect as it’s getting for this week’s game.