Saints vs. Eagles Point Spread: NFL Week 17 Odds, Prediction
A win would secure Philadelphia as the top seed in the conference, but an Eagles loss could also help them too; Philadelphia owns New Orleans’ first-round pick, one that would be a confirmed top-10 pick if the Saints lose.
The 6-9 Saints are on a run though with wins in back-to-back weeks, and one game back of the NFC South division lead. Philadelphia, without potential MVP Jalen Hurts at quarterback, lost their second game of the season last week at Dallas in a 40-34 thriller. The defeat bumped Philadelphia down to 13-2 on the season.
Kickoff at Lincoln Financial Field starts at 1 p.m. EST, and it’s the Eagles as 6.5-point favourites and the total 44 on the NFL odds.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
Philadelphia being a one-score favourite at home has some to do with Gardner Minshew still playing in relief of an injured Hurts, but Philadelphia’s league-leading offence still scored 27 points last Sunday (the Eagles as a team scored 34 because of an interception for a score). New Orleans meanwhile is 22nd in scoring this season with just over 20 points a game.
The over has connected in eight of Philadelphia’s last 10 games, six straight home games, and also in eight of the last 12 Eagles–Saints matchups. New Orleans is on a 7-1 run to the under, but have been and are still going through a stretch against above-average defences.
New Orleans Saints
Once again strong defence has prevailed the Saints to victory, as they came out on top 17-10 at Cleveland last week. It was the four straight game the Saints have allowed under 19 points, a streak that started out with two losses followed by two wins.
New Orleans only put 244 yards of offence in the win at Cleveland, 152 of which came on the ground. Taysom Hill and Alvin Kamara both found the end zone, with Hill’s being his team-leading sixth rushing score. Juwan Johnson leads all Saints with seven touchdowns.
Running back Alvin Kamara (quadricep), safety Marcus Maye (shoulder), and starting offensive linemen Andrus Peat (ankle) and Ryan Ramcyk (illness) all didn’t practice Wednesday.
Philadelphia Eagles
Four uncharacteristic turnovers cost the Eagles last weekend, as Philadelphia allowed 13 points in the final six minutes off two of the turnovers. On the plus side, Minshew was able to move the ball effectively against a strong Dallas defence, throwing for 355 yards and two scores. DeVonta Smith led the Eagles with eight grabs for 113 yards and two touchdown receptions while A.J. Brown also eclipsed 100 yards on six catches. Smith is now at 1,014 receiving yards, his first time reaching the milestone in just his second NFL season.
Hurts (shoulder) was inactive at practice Wednesday, and it’s looking like Minshew will start again. Tackle Lane Johnson (groin) along with Avonte Maddox (toe) and Miles Sanders (knee) all missed practice too.
NO
PHI