Turning to their closer the Philadelphia Eagles stayed alive in the NFC playoff hunt by stunning the Rams on Sunday night as a 13.5-point underdog. Philly rekindled some of its magic from last season’s Super Bowl run with Nick Foles taking over behind center, and the club played an inspired game to stay alive for a repeat. Beating the Houston Texans on Sunday is a must to keep those aspirations alive and it won’t be easy against a team that’s won 10 of its last 11 games.
Watch this Week 16 regular season matchup live on Sunday, December 23, 2018, at 1 p.m. ET at Lincoln Financial Field.
Opening NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Houston Texans +1
Philadelphia Eagles -1
Over/Under 45
Maybe it was because Foles was starting, but more likely it was because the Eagles were big underdogs on the road in a game they needed to have. Either way, Philly played its most complete game of the season knocking off the Rams as a two-touchdown dog to get it done. And it looks like Foles will be the guy leading the team moving forward as Carson Wentz deals with his back issue.
That’s good news for Alshon Jeffery and probably the rest of the Eagles receiving corps. The group was underutilized in the Wentz offense as tight end Zach Ertz hauled in most of the passes. That and the lack of a run game made the Eagles one-dimensional and opponents figured out how to stop them. The NFL’s scoring leader last season before Wentz was shelved with a knee injury, the Eagles just didn’t have the same dynamic.
It’s hard to say if the Eagles are a better team with Foles, but there’s no denying the veteran has something over his troops. Foles led the team through the playoffs last season, winning both games as an underdog at home. Then he outdueled Tom Brady in the Super Bowl to win MVP honors and he got a place back on the bench this season after Wentz made his return to the lineup. There are a number of reasons that can explain how the Eagles rose to the occasion on Sunday night, but the biggest was getting more out of the offense.
The run game has been stagnant all season but the Eagles busted loose for 111 yards against the Rams. And it was a welcome sight considering Corey Clement recently went on injured reserve. The committee approach worked well with Wendell Smallwood, Darren Sproles and Josh Adams all running for at least 28 yards and the group combined for three scores.
The biggest difference, however, was in the passing game. Foles threw for 270 yards with a long of 50 yards to Jeffery, who matched a season-high with eight catches while totaling 160 yards. The Eagles didn’t have a pass play longer than 42 yards in the previous four games. Leading receiver Ertz had just three catches. Getting the receivers more involved was part of the plan and it worked. And it’s a way to neutralize Houston’s defense as well, so look for Jeffery to be a fixture in the offense on the live betting lines at BookMaker.eu.
Houston rebounded from its first loss since September by knocking off the Jets on Saturday. Coupled with New England’s loss, the Texans are currently the No. 2 seed in the AFC, though they have yet to clinch a playoff spot. So there is plenty to play for and you can expect Deshaun Watson and DeAndre Hopkins to man the offense, especially with leading rusher Lamar Miller likely sidelined with an ankle injury.
Watson enjoyed plenty of success targeting Hopkins with 10 of his 22 completions aimed that way. Hopkins had 170 yards and two touchdowns while constantly being double-teamed. The All-Pro receiver has been targeted at least 10 times in each of the last three games. He currently ranks seventh in catches, third in receiving yards and fourth in touchdowns and he will be used against Philly’s secondary.
Texans at Eagles Live Betting
As athletic as Watson is, he hasn’t been able to avoid getting sacked this season and the Eagles enjoy pressuring quarterbacks with Fletcher Cox and Michael Bennett leading the charge. Watson was sacked six times by the Jets and has been brought down a league-high 52 times. He will make defenders miss on occasion, which could benefit his rushing yard total, but he will also be brought down a few times, making the total number of sacks for the Eagles and the combined number of sacks a prop bet winner at BookMaker.eu.
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