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Super Bowl 2018 Odds: Patriots Vs. Eagles Opening Betting Line And Expert Picks

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Super Bowl LII will be contested between the AFC’s New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFC. It’s an intriguing matchup, pitting the top seeds in each conference against one another, although the similarities end there. This contest will feature the defending champions against an upstart club making its first appearance in the NFL Playoffs since 2013. New England has been a regular fixture in the big game—making it eight times since the 2001 campaign—while Philly hasn’t been this far since 2004, when it came up just short against the Pats in Super Bowl XXXIX. That title cemented a New England dynasty, as it was the organization’s second in a row and third in four years. Interestingly enough, the Patriots are now in position to accomplish that same feat against the exact same opponent.

Oddsmakers are clearly expecting the Patriots to become the first back-to-back champion since they last accomplished it in 2003-2004, opening them as a six-point favorite over the Eagles before the line was bet down to 5.5 almost immediately (Edit 1/29 at 6:30 p.m. ET: the line is now NE -4.5). Don’t write off Philadelphia yet, as the team has thrived as an underdog throughout the postseason. The Eagles players utilized the betting lines for both the Divisional Round and NFC Championship as motivation, embracing their underdog status by donning dog masks on the field after a win and encouraging fans to wear them to the NFC Championship Game . They’ll now face their toughest challenge yet, needing to best an opponent they’ve only won against once since the turn of the millennium.

Adam Schefter highlighted some key storylines for the game:

Will Philadelphia pull off its third straight upset and finally bring a title to the City of Brotherly Love, or will the Pats add yet another Super Bowl ring to their collection by winning a fortnight from now? Jon Price of SportsInformationTraders.com analyzed the opening line and sent along his early take on the action. Before getting to the pro Las Vegas handicapper’s prediction, take a look at the complete schedule, start time, TV info, odds and more for Super Bowl LII:

Super Bowl LII Odds and Viewing Guide

Odds updated 2/2 at 4:30 p.m. ET

Time (ET) Matchup (TV) Seeding Odds Total
Sunday, Feb. 4
6:30 p.m. New England Patriots Vs. Philadelphia Eagles (NBC) AFC No. 1 Vs. NFC No. 1 NE -5 48

NFL Odds via BetDSI.eu Sportsbook

Super Bowl LII Preview: New England Patriots (AFC No. 1) vs. Philadelphia Eagles (NFC No. 1)

The Patriots appeared mortal for much of the 2018 AFC Championship Game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, looking rattled by their foe’s hard-hitting, fast defense. It appeared that the Jags had finally found a way to topple this group, especially after knocking star tight end Rob Gronkowski out of the game with a concussion at the end of the first half.

Gronkowski's injury has an impact on the betting line, according to odds consultant Scott Cooley of BetDSI:

There aren’t any players other than quarterbacks that impact the spread from an oddsmaking standpoint. However, if Rob Gronkowski is not cleared for this game due to a concussion, the betting public will react and we will adjust the odds accordingly. He is certainly a big part of the offense, but we all know they can win without him.

Quarterback Tom Brady was taking a beating and it seemed that Tom Coughlin—Jacksonville’s VP of football operations and the architect of two Super Bowl wins at New England’s expense during his time head coaching the New York Giants—would get the best of this team yet again. The Jags built up a 20-10 lead with only 12 minutes left and started thinking they might be punching a ticket to Minneapolis for the first Super Bowl berth in franchise history.

As he’s found a way to do so many times before, Brady would not let that be and willed his squad to a win. Dealing with a cut on his throwing hand that dominated the headlines leading up to the game, the future Hall of Famer found his groove in the clutch and dissected the secondary precision. He finished the fourth quarter comeback having completed 9-of-14 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns—both to sure-handed wideout Danny Amendola—orchestrating his 12th game-winning postseason drive and the 54th of his career to lead the Pats to a 24-20 win. The 40-year-old did this all against the league’s best passing defense, a group that gave up a mere 169.9 yards per game to opposing signal-callers and allowed only 17 passing touchdowns all season.

New England head coach Bill Belichick, the other constant during New England’s unprecedented run to eight AFC titles in 17 seasons, was characteristically dry when discussing Brady’s ability to play through the hand injury on Sunday, as per NESN.com: “I mean, look, Tom did a great job and he’s a tough guy. We all know that alright? But we’re not talking about open-heart surgery.” 

Brady himself admitted that the injury actually worried him leading up to the game, as per ESPN:

I thought, 'Of all the plays, my season can't end on a handoff in practice. I didn't come this far to end on a handoff…I’ve never had anything like it. I've had a couple of crazy injuries, but this was pretty crazy. I wasn't sure how I was going to do. Wednesday, Wednesday night, Thursday, I wasn't sure. Friday, gained a little confidence. Saturday, trying to figure out what we could do. Sunday, try to come out here and make it happen.

The good news is that Brady’s stitches should come out by the middle of this week, giving him plenty of time to get fully recovered before Super Bowl LII’s kickoff on February 4. He’ll need to be at 100% to help extend his unprecedented five championships as a starting QB against a tough Eagles opponent that is coming off a much more convincing win in the NFC Championship.

Philadelphia was dominant on Sunday night, obliterating the Minnesota Vikings 38-7 in a game it wasn’t expected to win after betting closed with Minnesota laying three points. Oddsmakers appeared to be onto something after the Eagles gave up a quick score on the opening drive, but the defense locked in and didn’t allow their opponent to put another point on the board after that. This thorough routing ending the Vikings’ dream of becoming the first team to ever play in a Super Bowl in their home stadium. Philly will instead travel to U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis with aspirations to win the first title in franchise history.

The Eagles are now 5.5-point underdogs for their matchup with New England in two weeks and haven’t faced odds this long all season. They outright lost and failed to cover as four-point ‘dogs against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 2, the only game it received more than three points in during the 2017 campaign and subsequent postseason. Much has changed for the Eagles since that defeat in Arrowhead Stadium, none more impactful than the team’s adjustment under center.

Backup quarterback Nick Foles took over for Carson Wentz after the second-year signal-caller tore his ACL late in Week 14 and has improbably guided his franchise back to the Super Bowl. After besting the Vikings, Foles is now 4-1 as a starter. His only loss came in a meaningless Week 17 game against the Dallas Cowboys, in which home field advantage through the playoffs was already secure.

Locking up the No. 1 seed was instrumental for the Eagles—who finished the regular season with an impressive 13-3 record, the same as New England—as the home crowd helped push the team to back-to-back upsets over the Falcons and Vikings, but the improved play of Foles was what truly propelled the team to this Super Bowl appearance. The Arizona product looked more comfortable as the playoffs went on, bettering his play in consecutive games. He started out by managing the Divisional Round game against Atlanta well, completing 76% of his passes for 246 yards, but failed to throw any touchdowns in a 15-10 victory. Foles had no issues finding the end zone on Sunday evening, torching Minnesota’s top-ranked defense for 352 yards and three touchdowns with no turnovers on 26-of-33 passing attempts. If Foles can keep it up, he has a great chance of becoming the 10th backup QB in history and first since Tom Brady in Super Bowl XXXVI to win a ring.

As prolific as their quarterback was on Sunday evening, the Eagles defense made sure a merely average outing would have sufficed. The Vikings mustered 333 yards, but weren’t able to capitalize after being forced into three critical turnovers by an opportunistic defense. Minnesota quarterback Case Keenum had only thrown one interception in his last four starts, but was picked twice and lost a fumble in the NFC Championship. The Vikings running game, which was one of the best during the regular season, was held to 70 yards on 18 carries. The Philadelphia D will need to clamp down one final time and come up with a memorable performance if it is going to stop Brady and co. from marching to a record-tying sixth Super Bowl for the franchise.

Before getting to Jon Price's expert prediction on the outcome, take a look at some trends, history and Twitter reactions for Super Bowl 52:

Super Bowl LII Trends
  • Favored teams are 27-23-1 ATS in the Super Bowl
  • Favored teams are 33-17 SU in the Super Bowl
  • The over/under is 26-24 in the Super Bowl
  • Underdogs are 11-5 ATS since Super Bowl 36
  •  NFC teams are 26-25 in the Super Bowl
Patriots-Eagles Results and Betting History (during Tom Brady era)
  • 2015 (at NE): Eagles 35, Patriots 28 (PHL +8/Over 49)
  • 2011 (at PHL): Patriots 38, Eagles 20 (NE -3/Over 50.5)
  • 2007 (at NE): Patriots 31, Eagles 28 (PHL +24/Over 51.5)
  • 2005 (Super Bowl): Patriots 24, Eagles 21 (PHL +7/Under 46)
  • 2003 (at PHL): Patriots 31, Eagles 10 (NE +4/Over 38)

Super Bowl LII Twitter Reactions:

Adam Schefter tweeted a few more interesting facts about the lead-up to the 2018 Super Bowl:

NFL Research noted that the Patriots are undefeated when in a situation that will occur in the Super Bowl:

ESPN Stats & Info pointed out that the Eagles are competing in their third Super Bowl, but have never won:

Peter Burns joked about the fans of each team competing for a title:

Early Super Bowl LII Expert Prediction

Price’s Take: This Super Bowl matchup is an interesting one. Most people expected the Pats to be here as they had the best odds to win it all right before the season started at 3-1. The Eagles were 2-1 to even make the postseason—compared to 1-15 for New England—and 35-1 to claim a title. Anyone who bet the Birds at that line is sitting on what could potentially be a very valuable ticket, but they’ll have to get past a team they’ve long struggled with to cash in.

The Eagles have only won against the Patriots in the last 15 years, beating them 35-28 in 2015. They forced Tom Brady into two interceptions and sacked him four times during the contest, while then-starter Sam Bradford came through with two touchdowns, no turnovers and only was sacked once. The keys to winning in 2018 are going be the exact same—hit Brady and avoid mistakes that New England will absolutely capitalize on—but it’s not going to be easy as much of the roster and coaching staff has turned over and the Pats offense has evolved in the years since.

The way to overcome this Pats team is to meet them in the regular season, see how Brady operates and get comfortable facing the many unique looks they throw at you when on the offensive. That’s how the New York Giants topped them in two Super Bowls, as well as how the Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos and New York Jets bested them in their other five postseason losses since the dynasty began in 2001. If you haven’t seen them, you simply aren’t prepared, as New England has never lost a game against an opponent it faces for the first time that season in the playoffs. Film just doesn't seem to cut it against New England.

The Eagles won’t go down without a fight, but they won’t be able to come through in the clutch. Brady thrives in situations where most quarterbacks would be rattled, as evidenced by his double-digit fourth quarter comebacks against the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX, Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI and even this week against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Even if Philly has a lead late in the game, it’s going to be impossible to keep it if the Pats get the ball back with a chance to win in the clutch. We’ve seen it time and time again and it won’t change this year.

I like the Eagles getting 5.5, however, as New England has only won a single Super Bowl by more than five points (last year's six-point victory in overtime against the Falcons) and the contests always seems to come down to the wire. I just can’t trust Foles to lead this team to victory in crunch time, even after his big performance in the NFC Championship Game. The Patriots battle-tested, veteran-laden roster is built to win this time of year and should come through when it matters most.

Pick: Eagles +5.5

Prediction: Patriots 24 – Eagles 21