Seattle Seahawks v Philadelphia Eagles Betting Tips: Will Seahawks win to take control of the NFC West?
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Odds and preview for the NFL’s Monday Night Football
The 7-3 Seattle Seahawks head to Philadelphia to take on the 3-6-1 Eagles on Monday Night Football with the chance to steal a march on their NFC West rivals.
Pete Carroll’s side started the season with five straight wins in scintillating form, with QB Russell Wilson the runaway early leader in the MVP standings.
But just two wins and three defeats in their next five has slowed their momentum, opening up the NFC West division to Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals, who could sit just one game behind the Seahawks should they lose to the Eagles.
NFC West leaders Seattle Seahawks are 4/11 favourites on the Money Line, with Philadelphia Eagles 11/5 to jump to the top of the NFC East with a win.
Seahawks scored the first touchdown in the win over Arizona Cardinals last week, and they’re 8/13 to score first here, with the Eagles out at 6/5.
DK Metcalf opened the scoring for the Seahawks last time out and he’s the 6/1 favourite to score the first TD here, with Eagles RB Miles Sanders 8/1 to score first.
Tyler Lockett grabbed his eighth TD of the season for the Seahawks and he’s 23/20 to score anytime, with Eagles QB Carson Wentz 23/10 anytime.
After the LA Rams lost to divisional rivals San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night, Seahawks could go a game clear at the top of the NFC West with a win in Philadelphia, but the Eagles have reasons to be motivated of their own.
New York Giants won their third straight match to join Washington Football Team at the top of the NFC East, with a playoff spot for winning the division up for grabs.
But with a win, the Eagles week 3 draw against Cincinnati Bengals would leave them with a superior record, heading the division with five matches of the regular season left to play.
If that isn’t enough motivation, the NFC East hasn’t been won by the same team in back-to-back seasons since the Eagles won their fourth in a row back in 2004. Could they be the first team to achieve that for 15 seasons?
The form of Doug Pederson’s team has dipped recently too, falling to two straight defeats and matching the Seahawks two wins and three defeats in their last five.
They’ll need a fast start to rattle the Seahawks, whose own fast start last week settled any potential nerves to help them get back to winning ways.
The Eagles have managed only three points in the first quarter of their last two matches and while they’ve only conceded seven points in that time, they’re struggling to dictate the tempo of the game without scoring.
In contrast, the Seahawks have only lost once when they’ve led after the first quarter, but even that defeat required overtime. They’ve only managed to overturn a first quarter deficit once this season – against the Minnesota Vikings on week five.
Seahawks will benefit from the return of cornerback Shaquill Griffin, guard Ethan Pogic and running back Chris Carson from injury, adding a secondary option to Carlos Hyde who has filled in during Carson’s absence.
But the key to the Eagles game may not be about those returning from injury, it’ll all be about protecting their quarterback. Carson Wentz has been sacked a league-high 40 times so far this season.
Contrast that with the Seahawks’ passing rush improvement recently – they boast the league’s second-best numbers in the league since week eight, making 16 sacks behind the return of Jamal Adams.
Seahawks came out on top in the last meeting between the two, with a tight battle ending 17-9 in the NFC Play-offs Wild Card Round. Will tonight’s matchup be another close battle? Could Wentz inspire the Eagles? Or will Wilson add to his claim in this year’s MVP picture?
All Odds and Markets correct as of date of publication.
