Seattle Seahawks vs. Philadelphia Eagles – Wild Card NFL Betting Analysis
Seattle Seahawks (11-5 8-7-1 ATS) at Philadelphia Eagles (9-7 7-9 ATS)
The Seahawks did not end the season well but still are a slight 1.5 favorite facing the Eagles in Philly where they beat them earlier this season. The total for this Wild Card game sits at 46.
For the 2nd straight season, the Eagles had a great run down the stretch to make the playoffs. They won their last four games of the regular season and are the NFC East champions.
The Eagles did not face a winning team in their last four games, but Carson Wentz played great in the clutch and the team only gave up 26 points in winning their last two games.
The Seahawks ended the season with two straight losses, and they have lost three of their last four games. Their last loss hurt bad, as falling at home to the San Francisco 49ers 26-21 cost them the chance to win the NFC West.
Earlier in the season in Philadelphia in a defensive battle, the Seahawks beat the Eagles 17-9.
The Seahawks are 5-0 ATS in their last five games against the Eagles.
The Seahawks lost their last road game but ended the season 7-1 on the road while the Eagles are 5-3 at home.
Can the Seahawks Run the Ball?
Entering the playoffs, the Seahawks run game is a major issue since three of their RB’s are on IR including Chris Carson, who finished the season as the 5th leading rusher in the NFL. Rashaad Penny is another RB on IR, and he rushed for 129 of the 174 rushing yards Seattle had in their win over Philly this season.
In the loss to the 49ers in the season finale, Travis Homer led the Seahawks with 62 rushing yards and the recently signed Marshawn Lynch only had 34 yards and averaged a less than impressive 2.8 yards per carry.
Russell Wilson had two TD and no INT with 233 passing yards in the season finale loss to the 49ers. In the earlier win over the Eagles, he passed for 200 yards with a TD and an INT.
The Seahawks will look to establish the run in this game, as that helped them get the W against the Eagles earlier this season. This is the case even though Philly ranks 3rd in the NFL in run defense but only 19th in pass defense.
Can Wentz Get It Done in the Playoffs?
Wentz has missed the last two playoff runs for the Eagles out with injury and now is his time. He has played great down the stretch and in the last four games has seven TD and no INT.
In the Eagles season finale, they locked up the NFC East crown beating the New York Giants 34-17 where Wentz passed for 289 yards with a TD and was not picked off. Boston Scott and Miles Sanders combined for 104 rushing yards in the game and if they can help out Wentz it will take some pressure off him and there is a lot of it on his shoulders already.
The Eagles still have a very thin WR corps with all the injuries but the guys in line have stepped up and Zach Ertz led the team in receiving yards this season.
Gone are the days when Seattle dominated on defense and on the season they only ranked 27th in the league in pass defense and 22nd in run defense. The Seahawks have given up 53 points in losing their last two games.
Jason’s Prediction
While the Eagles have covered the spread in their last five playoff games the Seahawks are only 2-5 ATS in their last seven playoff games.
I think the loss of Carson for Seattle is bigger than the WR losses for Philly. Wentz will outduel Wilson and the Eagles’ defense will play a good game. I see a tight game that will not see a lot of scoring. Philadelphia will avenge their loss to Seattle this season by winning this Wild Card game and advancing in the playoffs.
PICK: Eagles +1.5
Bettorsworld Pick – Really no edge to be found here as our numbers show this game as a toss up. Can’t get too excited about the Eagles 4 game win streak heading into the playoffs as those wins came against the Giants twice, the Redskins and Dallas.
But have to question Seattle’s frame of mind after not getting it done in week 17. They could have hosted a home game, instead, they make a cross country journey to play a dangerous Eagles team.
The Eagles 3 losses at home this year came by 8 points or less. As we mentioned on our Saints write up, teasing playoff teams while picking up key numbers in the process, has been profitable over the years, especially with home teams.
We think there’s some value taking the Eagles from +2.5 up to +8.5, picking up the 3 and 7 along the way. We’ll do the same with the Saints, taking them down from 7.5 to -1.5.
1* Key Release – Teaser – Eagles +8.5 and Saints -1.5