Three Reasons Super Bowl LII Bettors Pick The Eagles Over Patriots
A strong majority of football fans have decided to back the Philadelphia Eagles for Super Bowl LII, even though the New England Patriots continue to be strong favorites to win the sixth championship of their dynasty.
Westgate estimates that nearly 80% of total handle leans toward bets on the Eagles before the big game, shrinking the spread from 5.5-6.0 to as low as 4 points. Canada Sports Betting also believes in Philly’s underrated quarterback, strong defense and demonstrated resilience they’ve displayed on the road to Super Bowl 52.
The underrated Nick Foles
The pivot is one most fickle jobs in the NFL, slightly less uncertain than the plight of a kicker. When quarterbacks suffer a down year, or play on a squad which doesn’t support their talents, teams tend to be quick to move on to another solution.
Some might forget that Nick Foles earned a Pro Bowl nomination during his second year in the league, leading all QBs with a 119.2 passer rating for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2013. He landed with the St. Louis Rams during coach Jeff Fisher’s regime, the same bench boss who oversaw Jared Goff’s horrible intro into the NFL.
Foles has never experienced a bad game in the playoffs. He’s earned two wins in three post season starts, with a 75.0% completion rate, five TDs, no interceptions and 793 yards for a 116.4 passer rating. He’s peaking at the right time, giving Philadelphia the steady pivot play needed to steer the Eagles to Super Bowl glory.
Eagles Defense Rises To Occasion
One of the critiques of the Philadelphia Eagles involves the strength of the teams they faced during the regular season, ranked 16th by Football Outsiders, who weight results according to competition. This added to their underdog perception, despite the outstanding defense which carried the team to NFC supremacy.
The most important aspect of Philadelphia’s defense is their ability to disrupt the flow of opposing quarterbacks. Philly’s defensive line and pass rush pressured more quarterbacks than any other squad in the NFL, contributing to the Eagles impressive 19 interceptions.
Malcolm Jenkins, a Pro Bowl safety who reads and reacts to offensive schemes at an elite level, locks opponents down. Jenkins and the secondary will be charged with preventing quick looks for Brady, while the D-Line will reduce the amount of time Tom has to pick out an open target.
Most of the matchup discussion focuses strictly on stopping Brady, but the Patriots running game might be most affected by Philly’s D-Line, anchored by three-time Pro Bowl tackle Fletcher Cox. The Eagles allowed the fewest rushing yards and the fewest attempts in the NFL. This implies that the opposition spent most of their time catching up to Philadelphia, or avoided frequent runs because of their elite defensive line.
Brady’s not the only member of the offense under attack. Running back Dion Lewis will be challenged to find holes to run through, requiring clever schemes from coach Belichick and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. The Eagles held the Falcons to 86 rushing yards and the Vikings to 70 on the ground. New England might not be able to rely on the run against Philadelphia, restricting the Patriots options on offense to a risky air show.
Philly Won’t Fold In The Clutch
Some of New England’s best wins have been made possible by their opponent’s perplexing penalties and bad play calling. Jacksonville helped the Patriots earn another amazing comeback victory by giving Brady free yards. During last year’s Super Bowl, Atlanta shifted to an extremely conservative offense, taking their foot off the pedal in the second half. When New England roared back, the Falcons couldn’t shift into high gear again, resulting in the biggest Super Bowl comeback in history.
The Eagles didn’t flinch when Matt Ryan and Julio Jones threatened a last-minute triumph in the divisional round, and they didn’t take the foot off the gas during their dismantling of the Vikings. New England can’t give up a big lead to Philadelphia and expect the same fourth quarter they’ve become accustomed to.
