It’s been a disappointing start for the Philadelphia Eagles, who most observers feel have underachieved to a 0-2-1 start. The good news is that they play in what has been the worst division in the NFL and a win over the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers on Sunday Night Football vaults Philly to the top of the NFC East. The bad news is that Carson Wentz has struggled leading to some offensive misery. The Niners return home and go for their third straight win after pummeling the New York teams by a combined score of 67-22 while playing without a number of injured players. The Niners are a 7-point favorite on the current NFL betting line.
Watch this regular season NFL Week 4 matchup on Sunday, October 4, 2020, at 8:20 p.m. ET from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. Catch the game live on NBC and bet on NFL odds at BookMaker.eu every day of the season.
NFL Odds at Bookmaker.eu
Philadelphia Eagles +7
San Francisco 49ers -7
Over/Under 46
Odds Analysis
Even with all their ailments the Niners are getting plenty of support. Opening as a 5.5-point favorite the line has steadily been wagered to -7. Playing without a number of key performers last week, Frisco manhandled the Giants showing off their depth. Or maybe the Giants are just horrible. I actually think it’s a combination of both so don’t expect an easy ride this week. The Eagles have some figuring out to do after playing to a 23-23 tie with the Cincinnati Bengals last week. It did prevent Philly from its first 0-3 start since 1999, though it was little consolation for a team that was favored by 5.5-points and fell to 0-3 ATS. There’s also been movement on the total spiking to 46 from its opening of 43.5.
Matchup to Watch
The Eagles really need Wentz to play better than he has in the early going and he’ll get a chance against a 49ers defense without linemen Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas, and cornerback Richard Sherman. The Niners did a job on the Giants last week holding them to 231 total yards and keeping the G-Men out of the end zone. Again it’s more likely a case of the Giants being horrible rather than the Niners being that good. But still, it was an impressive showing considering.
As Wentz struggles he’s starting to hear the call for Jalen Hurts. It’s just the voice in his head right now but it does have an effect. Wentz tossed a pair of picks last week giving him exactly two in each of the first three games. He’s also completing less than 60 percent of his passes. What’s so alarming about the turnovers is that Wentz hadn’t thrown more than seven interceptions in a season since his 2016 rookie campaign. He’s also without his best weapons in the passing game. Alshon Jeffery hasn’t played and first round-pick Jalen Reagor and Dallas Goedert are out indefinitely. DeSean Jackson and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside are also dealing with injuries. Somebody needs to step up; we’ll see if anyone does this week.
Injury Report
Holy cow where do you start on this one? We’ve already touched on a few of the notable injuries with Philly’s offense being a mess. At least they have their starting quarterback, which is something the Niners will probably be without for another game. Not having Jimmy Garoppolo behind center wasn’t an issue last week with Nick Mullens doing a masterful job in his place. Mullens was 25 of 36 with 343 yards and a touchdown against the Giants. There is a chance George Kittle and Deebo Samuel return this week after the two were back on the practice field.
What concerns me about the Niners is the number of players out on the defensive side. The pass rush is impacted with the absence of Bosa and Thomas leaving the secondary to cover a lot of ground and Sherman isn’t back there. Corners Emmanuel Moseley and Ahkello Witherspoon are also dealing injuries but are expected to play. That should open up a lot of room for the Eagles, who are a much better offensive club than the Giants despite Wentz’s struggles.
Free ATS Pick
Backers feel pretty good about the Niners this week after watching them destroy the NY teams. The injuries will eventually catch up with them and Wentz isn’t as bad as he’s shown, is he? I’m betting no on that one and I expect Philly’s defense to come up large against Mullens. I’ll take the visitors and the points in this one.
NFL Pick: 49ers 23, Eagles 20
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