September 03, 2020
After what felt like the longest offseason (in the longest year), the NFL season will officially kick off one week from today.
That's right — football is back. Almost.
The return of the NFL season and especially game action also means the return of gambling. For the Eagles, that means a date with Washington in Week 1, where they open as a six-point favorite, according to TheLines.com's consensus odds. But once the first slate of games is played, we'll know a lot more about all 32 teams — with no preseason and limited training camp access, there's less known than ever when it comes to the NFL.
So, if you want to get in early on some futures, now might be the time to look at some season-long bets. With so much unknown, a smart bettor might be able to find some value before teams take the field and show what they have.
Following an offseason of change (and injuries), the Eagles' Super Bowl odds aren't what they once were. After opening at +1700, the Birds have fallen slightly to +2000 at FanDuel, which is currently tied with Seattle for the seventh-best odds in the NFL and fifth among NFC teams. They're also one spot behind the Dallas Cowboys (+1500).
The top two spots belong to the defending Super Bowl champs, the Chiefs, and the team that boasts the reigning NFL MVP, Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. After those two AFC teams, the next six spots belong to NFC teams, perhaps showing how much tighter that conference's talent is than in the AFC, where after those top two teams at +600 and +650, respectively, the next closest is the Patriots with +2300.
Here's a look at the full odds from FanDuel, courtesy of TheLines.com:
SUPER BOWL
Kansas City: +600
Baltimore: +650
San Francisco: +900
New Orleans: +1200
Tampa Bay: +1500
Dallas: +1500
Philadelphia: +2000
Seattle: +2000
New England: +2300
Indianapolis: +2300
Minnesota: +2500
Pittsburgh: +2500
Buffalo: +2800
Tennessee: +3000
Green Bay: +3100
Cleveland: +3400
LA Rams: +4000
LA Chargers: +4000
Chicago: +4400
Atlanta: +5000
Houston: +5000
Arizona: +5000
Denver: +6000
Las Vegas: +6000
Detroit: +6600
Miami: +8000
NY Jets: +8500
NY Giants: +8500
Carolina: +12000
Cincinnati: +17000
Washington: +17000
Jacksonville: +20000
As you can see, there's a huge disparity between the haves and the have nots in the NFC East, with the Eagles and Cowboys near the top of the list, but the Giants and Washington way down near the bottom.
That's also the case when you look at the odds to win the NFC, where the Eagles again check in one spot behind the Cowboys (and tied with the Seahawks).
NFC
San Francisco: +450
New Orleans: +600
Tampa Bay: +750
Dallas: +750
Philadelphia: +1000
Seattle: +1000
Minnesota: +1200
Green Bay: +1400
LA Rams: +1700
Chicago: +2100
Atlanta: +2400
Arizona: +2400
Detroit: +3200
NY Giants: +4000
Carolina: +5000
Washington: +7000
And, finally, let's take one last look at the divisional odds, where the Cowboys are the favorites with the Birds not far behind.
NFC EAST
Dallas: -130
Philadelphia: +130
NY Giants: +1500
Washington: +2300
If those Super Bowl odds aren't exciting you as an Eagles fan, consider this: back when the Eagles won it all in 2017, the Eagles opened that season with 50-1 odds to win the Super Bowl. They're currently at 20-1.
You can look at that one of two ways. Either the Eagles are in much better shape than they were the year they won the Super Bowl. Or odds are meaningless and we read way too much into them. I'll let you decide.
This content and the links provided are sponsored by thelines.com and playpennsylvania.com, PhillyVoice.com’s Official 2020/2021 Betting Odds Partner, independently created by PhillyVoice.
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