Washington Football Team at Philadelphia Eagles Odds and Game Pick (2021)
The final regular-season game of the 2020-21 NFL regular season will take place in The City of Brotherly Love and carries with it major postseason implications. The Washington Football Team is a Week 17 win away from clinching the NFC East Division title and a trip to the postseason. They’ll look to do just that when they battle the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday Night Football. The betting odds and sharp picks have sided with the road team in this highly anticipated matchup.
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Details
- Opening Lines: Eagles -1; O/U 42.5
- Location: Lincoln Financial Field – Philadelphia, PA
- Start Time: 8:20 p.m. EST
- Television: NBC
- Last Meeting: September 13, 2020 – Washington defeated the Eagles 27-17 in Landover.
- Attendance: No fans will be allowed to attend.
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WAS
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-3.5
-112
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o43.5
-112
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-180
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PHI
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+3.5
-109
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u43.5
-109
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+155
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Overview
It has been an eventful week for the Washington Football Team in the leadup to this win-and-in season finale. The team waived a former first-round draft pick in QB Dwayne Haskins after his rough outing in last week’s loss. The concerns surrounding Haskins went beyond just his poor play, and the move only further signifies the changing culture that Ron Rivera is working to implement in D.C. Veteran Alex Smith is on track to return from a calf injury and start in Week 17 against the Eagles. Whether he will have top wideout Terry McLaurin or not remains a question mark. Of course, the backbone of the Football Team is a defense that only allows 21 points per game and also forces 1.3 takeaways per contest.
The Eagles offense saw a resurgence of sorts when Jalen Hurts took over as the starting QB for Carson Wentz. That burst came to a screeching halt against Dallas last week. The Eagles were shutout in the second half and the loss ultimately eliminated them from the NFC East race. With nothing to play for but growth and pride in Week 17, Philadelphia has seen the betting market shift heavily against them after they initially opened as short home favorites for this game. The Eagles’ problems stretch beyond any lackluster quarterback play, however. A dysfunctional offensive line will be up against it as they try and match up against Chase Young and the elite Washington defensive front.
Trends
- Washington 2020 Betting Trends: 9-6 ATS; 5-10 to the Over
- Eagles 2020 Betting Trends: 5-10 ATS; 7-8 to the Over
- Washington is 8-2 ATS in their last ten games with Alex Smith as their starting quarterback.
- Washington is 8-4-1 in their last 13 road games at Philadelphia.
- The Over has hit in each of the last three head-to-head matchups between Washington and the Eagles.
Prop Bet
Eagles First Half Team Total: Over 9.5 (-157 at DraftKings Sportsbook)
The struggles of the Eagles’ offense this season are well-documented, and that includes first-half scoring. On the year, Philadelphia only averages 10.1 first-half points per game, a slight tick above the betting line of 9.5 for this Week 17 game. There are a handful of points that make me like the Over here, despite needing to lay a little juice. First, Philadelphia scored all 17 of its points against Washington in the first half when the teams met back in Week 1. Second, since Jalen Hurts took over as the starting QB in Week 14, Philadelphia has averaged 18 first-half points per game. Finally, the Washington defense has actually gotten better as games have gone on this season. Coming into Sunday’s finale, Washington allows only 6.1 points to opponents in the second half of games (best in the NFL) compared to 14.9 first-half points (27th in the NFL). A touchdown and a field goal are enough to hit this Over, and the stats from both teams certainly support the play.
Bottom Line
The betting market has clearly shown favor to Washington in the lead up to this game. With Ron Rivera’s group needing a win to reach the postseason, the spread has shifted a full 3.5 points through pick’em with Washington now laying points on the road. The total has also ticked up slightly from the opening 42.5 to 44.
Aside from what’s at stake for the two sides in this game, the other area to highlight is the injury report. While Washington has gotten good news on Alex Smith, the Eagles have had numerous key players on both sides of the ball held out of practice this week. When you combine the initiative that Washington will be playing with along with the Philadelphia injury concerns, I’m inclined to follow the market and lay anything under an even field goal.
In a similar vein, I also like the Over for this game, a rarity in matchups featuring the Football Team. The total is predictably low, but the Eagles’ defense is banged up and simply not playing well. Jalen Hurts has the ability to improvise better than most quarterbacks due to his rushing abilities. With that said, any number north of 44 is a much less desirable play.
Picks: Washington -2.5 and Over 44 (-109 and -108 respectively at DraftKings Sportsbook)
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Henry John is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Henry, check out his archive and follow him @HankTimeSports.