NFL playoffs: Seahawks at Eagles betting preview, odds, and best bet
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The Seattle Seahawks and Philadelphia Eagles will close out the wild-card round Sunday afternoon. The two teams met back in Week 12 with Seattle winning on the road 17-9. Can the shorthanded Eagles get revenge and advance to the divisional round, or will Russell Wilson lead the Seahawks to another win in Philly? Here's everything you need to know about the matchup from a betting perspective.
Odds
Seahawks -1.5, 45.5
Oddsmakers opened the Eagles as a slight one-point home favorite but early money came in on Seattle, moving the Seahawks to -1.5 as of Thursday. Expect the public to back Seattle with Philadelphia still missing a number of key players. The total opened at 46 and moved to 45.5 with some initial sharp money on the under.
Betting trends
Philadelphia managed to win the NFC East despite a plethora of injuries. Carson Wentz somehow threw for over 4,000 yards and 27 touchdowns even though he was down his top three wide receivers and Pro Bowl tight end Zach Ertz by the end of the year. Ertz is expected to play Sunday but probably won't be 100% after missing Week 17 with a lacerated kidney. He caught 12 balls for 91 yards and a score on 14 targets in the teams' first meeting.
The Eagles have covered five straight playoff games, dating back to their magical Super Bowl run two years ago. They've been even more profitable as an underdog, going a sizzling 10-1 against the spread (ATS) over their last 11 postseason contests when catching points.
Seattle came up just short of winning the NFC West and now must travel to Philadelphia for the second time this season. In the teams' first meeting, the Seahawks rushed for 174 yards and 6.7 yards per carry, but they're now without their top two running backs due to season-ending injuries. Seattle brought back Marshawn Lynch but will miss Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny on Sunday. Penny rushed for a career-high 129 yards versus the Eagles.
The Seahawks are one of the best road teams in the NFL, going 7-1 straight up (SU) and 5-2-1 ATS away from home this season. Over the last two years, Seattle is a stellar 10-3-1 ATS on the road. Ironically, the Seahawks' road success hasn't translated to the postseason in recent years. They're 1-3 SU and 0-4 ATS in their last four road playoff games going back to 2015.
X-factor
The Seahawks almost earned a first-round bye in the playoffs despite having a point differential of +7. To put that in perspective, Seattle ranks behind the Cowboys (+131), Rams (+30), and Buccaneers (+9), who all missed the postseason. A lot of stats and metrics suggest Seattle isn't as good as its 11-5 record suggests, including its defense allowing 6 yards per play, which only ranks ahead of Houston and Cincinnati.
Best bet
Under 45.5
This is a tough game to call because the Eagles are so beat up right now. With a variety of injuries to their receiving corps, their passing game is likely to struggle. Expect a competitive contest throughout, with Seattle stubbornly trying to establish the run with Lynch and Travis Homer. The under has cashed in four straight meetings between the two teams and is 16-5 in the Eagles' last 21 home games. Look for that trend to continue Sunday in a tight matchup.
Thomas Casale is theScore's supervising editor of sports betting. He's been following the sports betting industry for almost 30 years. A devoted fan of the wishbone offense, Thomas bets on all sports but specializes in college football, NFL, and college basketball. Find him on Twitter @TheTomCasale.