Explosive Eagles Performance Sees Odds Slashed

Odds of the Philadelphia Eagles winning Super Bowl XLVIII were slashed after Monday night’s high-scoring game against the Washington Redskins.

What a difference a week makes.

Seven days ago the Philadelphia Eagles were mired towards the bottom of the NFL futures lists, sat amidst the likes of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Diego Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs, teams bookmakers had circled with a ring of uncertainty; improvement was expected but none were truly expected to contend.

Now, after a 33-27 Monday Night Football win over the Washington Redskins – a win that showcased a high-octane offense that has sent the football world into a spin – the Eagles are all of a sudden making a blip on the bookmakers’ radar. But how loud will this blip prove?

On September 5, the day the NFL season kicked off, odds of the Eagles winning Super Bowl XLVIII stood at 50/1 with leading bookmaker Bovada. Odds of the team winning an NFC championship stood at 28/1. After Monday night’s performance, those odds have been slashed to 28/1 and 14/1 respectively.

Chip Kelly’s side now ranks in the Top 8 in the NFC and the Top 12 in the NFL, according to the sports book. That would put the team squarely on the playoff bubble (with 16 weeks to go, of course).

But this early movement should be approached with caution.

Having gassed the Redskins in the first half, the Eagles built a 33-7 lead early in the third quarter and looked like they’d run (pun most certainly intended) away with the game. But an offense that ran 53 plays in the first half ran out of steam, while the Redskins mounted a comeback, scoring three unanswered touchdown. Fortunately for Kelly and the Eagles, the Redskins simply ran out of time to complete the comeback.

Sustainability has been a keyword in the sports media this week, with the big question being whether or not the Eagles can sustain such an exhaustive offensive for an entire game or the offensive potion of the game anyway. They couldn’t in Week 1 and the league has expressed varying opinions on whether that will change from this week.

The Redskins certainly played their part in the Eagles’ offensive display, giving up the ball on three occasions (2 INT, 1 FUM). What happens when the Eagles come up against a team that knows how to look after the football?

What happens when the Eagles take to the field against a team that knows how to rush the football, and how to take control of the clock? The Chiefs – who the Eagles meet in Week 3 – serve as an ideal example here, as do the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears, who the Eagles meet in Weeks 15 and 16 respectively.

Yes, the Eagles scored 33 points but the team also punted six times and lost a pair of fumbles. Giving away eight possessions is sure to catch up and haunt a side sooner rather than later. In reality, the Eagles were lucky to get out of Landover, Md., with the win.

LeSean McCoy had 184 yards and a touchdown against the Redskins.

This weekend the Eagles (1-0, 0-0 home) play their home-opener, hosting a San Diego (0-1, 0-0 road) side that had similar issues to the Eagles this past Monday.

While the Chargers were far from a high-octane pace-setter in their game against the Houston Texans, the team did get off to a quick start, building a 28-7 lead early in the third quarter. Like the Redskins did at FedEx Field, the Texans chipped away at that lead, scoring three unanswered touchdowns. The big difference was that the Texans were able to win the game on Randy Bullock’s 41-yard field goal as time expired.

A year ago, the Chargers defense recorded 14 interceptions (16th in the league) and recovered 14 fumbles (4th). Those are numbers the Eagles will need to be wary of.

San Diego Chargers vs. Philadelphia Eagles odds for 9/15/13 are available now.

San Diego is 6-4 all-time against Philadelphia, including a 31-23 win the last time the two sides met (Nov. 2009). The Eagles have won the last two, and three of four all-time, at Lincoln Financial Field. The Charges one victory in the City of Brotherly Love came in September 1995.

7 of 10 games between the two sides have been decided by one touchdown or less. The spread conveniently opened at 7. Both teams covered the spread in their season opener.

The over/under opened at 55.5, no doubt a reflection of Philadelphia’s fast-paced, high-scoring offense. The two sides have never combined for more than 54 points, but with the two having scored a combined 61 points in Week 1, that trend may be at threat this Sunday.

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