The Philadelphia Eagles have had a relatively busy offseason. Rather than sit tight with their young guys and hope that they mature, the Eagles brass decided to go out and get some playmakers for youngster Carson Wentz. Philly certainly thinks it has the talent to be able to win now if it can put the right roster around the North Dakota State product, but we’ll have to wait and see some results before we can judge it a success or failure. The Eagles will kick off the 2017 campaign against the Green Bay Packers on Thursday.
This matchup in Week 1 of the preseason will take place on Thursday, August 10, 2017,
at 8 p.m. ET at Lambeau Field.
Week 1 NFL Preseason Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
Philadelphia Eagles +2
Green Bay Packers -2
Over/Under 38.5
Odds Analysis
Green Bay has been pretty evenly keeled over Mike McCarthy’s 11 seasons in charge of one of the most iconic franchises in football. The Packers are 23-20 overall in the preseason under his watch and went 3-1 in 2016. Green Bay ended up covering in all three of its wins and every one of its games last preseason went under the total too.
As for the Eagles, Philadelphia went a perfect 4-0 in Doug Pederson’s first season calling the shots in 2016. The Eagles easily covered every spread and their lowest margin of victory was eight points. In three of their four games, the defense held their opponent to single digits and that led to three under games.
Key Additions
Philadelphia has invested a lot in its wide receivers over the past five seasons. The Eagles selected Zach Ertz in the second-round in 2013, Jordan Matthews in the second-round in 2014, and Nelson Agholor in the first-round in 2015. Ertz and Matthews have turned out just fine, but it’s looking more and more like Agholor is a best and rather than wait for the inevitable the Eagles brought in two big name free agents this offseason.
Signing Alshon Jeffery to a one-year deal was a shrewd move for the Eagles. Jeffery has the talent to be a great player with the right quarterback but has battled injuries the past few seasons. He gives Wentz a proven commodity at the receiver position and could have a huge season.
Philly wasn’t content to only grab Jeffery, so it signed Torrey Smith too. Smith is looking to prove he still has something left after a couple of mediocre seasons with the 49ers and gives Wentz a speedy deep threat.
Both receivers are questionable for this game. Jeffery probably won’t play since he has a lingering shoulder injury, but Smith will likely give it a go after dealing with back spasms for a few days.
Player to Watch
Brett Hundley set the preseason ablaze in 2015, finishing the exhibition campaign atop most of the NFL passing statistics. There was plenty of buzz surrounding him last preseason, but that disappeared quickly after an ankle injury suffered in training camp limited him and re-injuring that same ankle led to him being shut down for the rest of preseason after just one game.
There’s no denying that Hundley is talented though. Teams have inquired about Hundley this offseason and it’s widely assumed that he will eventually get a chance at a starting job somewhere. He will get a chance to prove himself in this game and should see a lot of action.
Free ATS Pick
Pederson has already announced that Wentz will play for at least a little bit against the Packers. However, he probably won’t see too much action after he suffered a broken rib last preseason that left him gritting through the early part of the regular season.
Green Bay is the right side in this one. Hundley has performed very well when given the chance and has looked great in training camp. He should have a nice performance in a Packers victory.
Week 1 NFL Preseason Odds: Packers 24, Eagles 17
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