Eagles vs. Patriots Point Spread: NFL Pre-Season Week 2 Odds, Prediction
New England and Philadelphia both started their 2024 preseason schedules on a winning note. The Pats dumped Carolina 17-3 at home, while the Eagles beat the Ravens 16-13 in Baltimore.
New England opened as a 2.5-point favourite to win on the NFL preseason odds, with the total set at 35.5.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
These teams had very different seasons in 2023. The Eagles started 10-1, but struggled near the end of the year to finish with an 11-6 record before being blown out by Tampa Bay in the Wild Card game. The Patriots finished with a 4-13 record, tied for the second-worst mark in the NFL, and it cost longtime head coach Bill Belichick his job.
Philadelphia head coach Nick Sirianai is just 2-6 straight up in his preseason career and he’s 2-5-1 against the spread. There’s no real track record for New England’s first time head coach Jerod Mayo, who is 1-0 both SU and ATS in the preseason.
The Eagles enter the 2024 season at +1400 to win the Super Bowl on the NFL futures board, while the Pats are +15,000 long shots. Philly is a -120 favourite to win the NFC East and their win total is set at 10.5, with the Over favoured at -115. New England has the longest odds to win the AFC East at +2500 and their win total is set at an abysmal 4.5.
Philadelphia Eagles
Quarterback Kenny Pickett received the majority of the snaps in last week’s preseason opener. Pickett, who was acquired from Pittsburgh in the off-season, finished 14 of 22 for 89 yards and a touchdown. Tanner McKee was 6 of 16 for 39 yards. The Eagles didn’t play Jalen Hurts at all in the preseason last year, so you can expect them to rely on Pickett and McKee again in Week 2. Pickett is locked in as the backup this season, while McKee will be No. 3 on the depth chart.
Philadelphia has never played to win in the preseason entering Year 4 under Nick Siriani, so don’t bank on many starters playing in Week 2. That includes the Eagles’ biggest off-season addition, running back Saquon Barkley. Kenneth Gainwell is expected to be Barkley’s backup this year and he’ll be in the lineup. Gainwell finished last season with 364 rushing yards and he had 23 yards on four carries last week.
New England Patriots
It was a quarterback carousel for the Pats in Week 1 as Drake Maye, Bailey Zappe, Jacoby Brissett and Joe Milton III all took snaps under centre. Maye, the 2024 third overall draft pick, played just one series in the first quarter, completing two of three passes for 19 yards. Zappe saw the most action, completing 12 of 20 pass attempts for 108 yards. New England has an open quarterback competition right now, so expect Maye, Zappe and Brissett to split snaps over the next two games. Mayo has already said Maye will get more action in Week 2.
No. 1 running back Rhamondre Stevenson played last week, so he likely won’t play in Week 2. Cornerback Christian Gonzalez, a first round pick in 2023 whose promising start to the season last year was cut short by a shoulder injury, played the opening two series’ last week and should see limited action on Thursday.