Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots, 8/16/18 Predictions & Odds

Eagles vs. Patriots Preseason Pick

A rematch of last season’s Super Bowl will take place in New England on Thursday night when the Patriots host the champion Eagles at 7:30 p.m. ET. Will Philly cover as an underdog?

Game Snapshot

401 Philadelphia Eagles at 402 New England Patriots

7:30 p.m. ET, Thursday, August 16, 2018

Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

Public Betting Trends & Odds

According to oddsmakers, the Patriots are 3.5-point home favorites to beat the Eagles, who opened as 2-point underdogs. As for the total, it hit the board at 40.5 but was bet up to 43. Per our NFL Public Betting page, the Eagles are receiving 52% of the betting tickets tonight.

Preview NFL Preseason Matchups

Philadelphia Eagles

Eagles coach Doug Pederson said Carson Wentz (knee) will need a week of 11-on-11 work to be ready for Week 1.

Wentz did see work during 11-on-11s early in camp, but the Eagles have since backed him off. On Tuesday during a radio interview, the quarterback said "it's going to be close" when asked about his availability for Week 1, but after practice, he said he hopes to return to 11-on-11 work next week. If that happens, he should be good to go for Week 1.

New England Patriots

Tom Brady (back) said he "absolutely" expects to play in the second preseason game.

Brady was held out of the preseason opener with a sore back, but the quarterback says he is fine. "I am doing really well," Brady said. "You just always have little things that you’re working through. That is part of football season, but I feel really good." If he suits up on Thursday night, Brady will not see more than a handful of snaps.

Betting Trends

Philadelphia

The road team is 4-0 against the spread in the last four meetings between these two teams.

New England

The Patriots are just 1-4 against the number in their last five games against the Eagles.

Prediction

The Eagles looked flat in their first preseason game (a 31-14 home loss to Pittsburgh), while the Patriots thumped the Redskins 26-17 in their preseason opener. As of this writing, 64% of the betting tickets are on the over but 70% of the money is on the over, perhaps indicating some sharp action on the total. The line movement on the total also indicates that the over could be a sharp play tonight.

 

NFL Preseason Week 2 Prediction: Eagles/Patriots over 43