The Philadelphia Eagles will be searching for the first Super Bowl victory in franchise history when they hit the gridiron against the New England Patriots next weekend as 5-point underdogs on the Super Bowl odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Philadelphia clinched its first Super Bowl berth since 2005 with a dominating 38-7 victory over the visiting Minnesota Vikings as a 3-point underdog in last weekend’s NFC Championship Game, and has posted outright victories in four of six outings as an underdog heading into the Eagles vs. Patriots Super Bowl betting matchup at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
Following consecutive losing campaigns, the Eagles were forced to overcome low expectations throughout the 2017 NFL campaign. Philadelphia opened the season as a +195 longshot to qualify for the playoffs, and was a betting underdog in three of its first six games.
The Eagles rose to the occasion, claiming straight-up victories in five of those outings en route to a 10-1 SU opening run. A season-ending injury to star quarterback Carson Wentz subsequently sent the Eagles’ Super Bowl odds plummeting to a distance +1400, while oddsmakers have listed Philadelphia as a betting underdog in each of its past three contests.
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But once again the top seed in the NFC silenced the doubters, knocking off the defending NFC champion Atlanta Falcons 15-10 as a 2.5-point underdog on Divisional Playoff weekend before last week’s stunning victory over Minnesota.
Veteran QB Nick Foles has been impressive since taking over the Eagles offence in Wentz’s absence. Foles connected on 23 of 30 passes in Philadelphia’s win over the Falcons, and followed up with his best performance since 2014, tossing for 352 passing yards and three touchdowns last weekend to emerge as a strong +325 bet on the Super Bowl MVP odds.
Philadelphia also has an old score to settle with the Patriots, who claimed a 24-21 win as 7-point favourites when these teams met at Super Bowl XXXIX. That marked the first of four straight SU losses to New England before the Eagles tallied a 35-28 win as 8-point road underdogs in December 2015.
The Patriots have looked in championship form during their drive towards an eighth Super Bowl berth since 2002. New England claimed a 24-20 win over Jacksonville last weekend in AFC Championship Game action and is now 13-1 SU in its past 14 games.
However, the Patriots saw a 4-0 against the spread run end by failing to cover as eight-point chalk against the Jaguars. The Patriots have also been shaky playoff performers when favoured by five or fewer points, going 1-3 SU and ATS in their past four such outings.
For more odds info, picks and a breakdown of this week’s top sports betting news check out the OddsShark podcast with Jon Campbell and Andrew Avery. Subscribe on iTunes, or check it out at OddsShark.libsyn.com.
