FollowIt’s still the Patriots. Bill Belichick is on the other sideline. And his team, the one that you love to hate, is on the field.
So, even though the Philadelphia Eagles face the Patriots for their second preseason game, a victory over New England might carry some extra weight.
The Eagles and the Patriots kickoff at 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 19 at Lincoln Financial Field, in a game that will be televised nationally on the NFL Network.
For Eagles fans, a triumph over that spying, football-deflating franchise that has been ever-so spoiled by Tom Brady’s tenure would be extra special. But Pennsylvania online sportsbooks aren’t expecting it.
Let’s take a quick look at some betting lines and storylines to get you ready for the game.
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots betting lines and stats
Current lines at FanDuel Sportsbook:
Spread: NE -1.5 (-110), PHI +1.5 (-110),
Total: Over 39 (-110), Under 39 (-110)
Moneyline: NE -125, PHI +105
Philadelphia Eagles/New England Patriots betting trends
So far during the 2021 NFL preseason, UNDERS are 14-3.
Obviously, preseason performances are certainly different from regular season games, but here’s how the teams have fared in their recent matchups according to stats from FanDuel.
- New England is 4-2 against the spread in its last six games vs. Philadelphia.
- New England’s total has went UNDER in four of its last five away games.
- Philadelphia is 4-1 ATS in its last five home games.
- The total has went OVER in 10 of Philadelphia’s last 11 games with New England.
And for new users, DraftKings has a promotion that can provide a $200 bonus. New users who make a deposit of at least $5 and wager on any college or NFL game in the next few weeks can earn a bonus of $200, paid out in the form of eight $25 free bets. The promotion is live now for all college and NFL preseason games – including Thursday’s showdown between the Patriots and Eagles.
Quarterbacks will command plenty of attention
The Eagles lost their first preseason game 24-16 to their intrastate rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers last Thursday.
The Patriots defeated the Washington Football Team 22-13 in their preseason opener. In that game, Alabama rookie quarterback Mac Jones, who is battling veteran Cam Newton for the position, completed 13 of 19 passes for 87 yards. Jones played five series for New England and could get a heavy workload once again. Meanwhile, Newton completed 4 of 7 passes for 49 yards in a somewhat lackluster performance. Patriots fans will be keeping a close eye on the quarterback play in Thursday’s game
Philadelphia’s second-year quarterback Jalen Hurts also had an uneven performance in his first preseason game, finishing 3-of-7 in the Steelers loss. However, New England arrived on Monday for a series of joint practices before Thursday’s game and Hurts was reportedly pretty sharp in practice. He’ll look to carry over that success into the upcoming game.
DeVonta Smith is back at practice, but not expected to play
Eagles rookie receiver DeVonta Smith returned to practice Monday, 16 days after injuring spraining his knee. Fans are hopeful that Smith can energize the Eagles passing offense, but his help probably won’t arrive Thursday. The team’s target for Smith’s first game could be the preseason finale against the New York Jets.
“The Eagles will generally bring a player back in individual drills for a few days until he’s ready for full team drills,” Frank wrote in a recent article. “Smith is not expected to play in the preseason game against the Patriots at the Linc Thursday, but the Eagles would love to get him some snaps in the preseason finale Aug. 27 against the Jets at the Meadowlands.”
Will there be more magic from Quez Watkins?
With Smith missing a lot of practice time this preseason, second-year receiver Quez Watkins has jumped into the spotlight. Watkins took a screen pass 78-yards for a touchdown against the Steelers and has had an impressive training camp for the Eagles.
“Watkins has been the Eagles’ offensive star this summer,” ESPN’s Tim McManus wrote in a recent report. “And (he) might just end up in the starting lineup if he keeps it up.”
Another strong performance in Thursday’s game would certainly strengthen his case for a starting spot.
Lead image Matt Rourke/AP