by Chuck Sommers
Friday, Dec 30, 2022
Time: 1 p.m. ET
Venue: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA
Where to watch: FOX
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Eagles -6.5; Eagles -260, Saints +220; O/U 42
FanDuel: Eagles -6.5; Eagles -295, Saints +240; O/U 42.5
BetMGM: Eagles -6.5; Eagles -275, Saints +225; O/U 42
Caesars: Eagles -6.5; Eagles -294, Saints +235; O/U 42
Season record
Saints: 6-9
Eagles: 13-2 (Clinched playoff berth, 1st place in NFC East)
We’re coming down the home stretch of the NFL season and there’s still a lot left to get excited for on your TV screen (or your streaming device if you’re like me and watch Sunday Ticket on a Fire Stick. That works, too). Nevertheless, the final few weeks of the regular season are going to be hectic for everyone on the field, but just as much as everyone off it. You’re probably going to need to figure out which plays are the best ones in terms of teams sitting the star players for the playoff advantage, or which teams are going all in for the final playoff push. If you need that extra push, trust that our champion handicappers can get the job done for you. Matt Fargo has a 17-9-0 run over the last 30 days in the NFL. Brian Bitler has continued to stay consistent, despite a wild, unpredictable season, by going 16-9-0. Do you want a piece of this action? Make sure to stay locked to bigal.com and follow our champion handicappers so you can be a champion, too!
Saints - Eagles preview, analysis and prediction
Last week
Saints: won 17-10 at Browns
Eagles: lost 40-34 at Cowboys
Saints analysis
The New Orleans Saints are still technically alive in the playoff race but they are going to need some help if they want to win the NFC South. That would require winning out and having Carolina and Tampa Bay lose one of their games in order for it to happen. But New Orleans is very much in it after winning 17-10 against the Cleveland Browns last week in which was a interesting day to say the least in terms of game planning. Andy Dalton was once again average at best, but it was Taysom Hill carrying the offense in the second-half with a touchdown and 56 rushing yards on the day.
New Orleans, in a rare sort of way, relied on the defense and the running game in order to get the victory and Cleveland in which the conditions were absolutely absurd for snow purposes. Even if you watched that game and you saw how bad the field looked, it looked like a bunch of ice just scattered across 30 yards. It was probably the weirdest situation I've ever seen on television. But New Orleans did exactly what Cleveland didn't do which is rely on the running game and rely on the short yardage situations to get them a victory. That was the complete opposite of what Cleveland did which allowed New Orleans to get a victory.
The Saints or in a bit of a bind over the next couple of years because they're not good enough to get into the playoffs, but they're not bad enough to miss out entirely and get a top draft pick. It does not look like that will happen again considering New Orleans is right in the middle of the pack. But weirder things have happened and this would not shock me in the least.
Eagles analysis
The Philadelphia Eagles are basically playing with house money even though jalen hurts might not be available for Sunday. And why would he be after Gardner Minshew nearly pulled off the upset by himself against the Dallas Cowboys last Saturday? But the Eagles are still one when away or a Cowboys loss away from being NFC East champions and no matter who is the quarterback this week, You can make the case that Philadelphia will clinch the division by the time this game ends on Sunday.
Philadelphia is coming off a 40-34 loss to Dallas on Christmas Eve in which the backup quarterback for Philadelphia was absolutely tremendous. Minshew completed 24 of 40 passes for 355 yards and two touchdowns, but his two interceptions sort of through everything off balance. Given the way the Dallas defense has played over the last few weeks, airing it out and attacking the secondary was the only option that Philadelphia could do especially considering the running game was bottled up. Miles Sanders was held to just 65 yards on 21 carries.
Hurts returning, if that is a possibility, would be beneficial for Philadelphia because he can handle the running game more and get that going while also making plays with his arm. The New Orleans defense has actually been very good this year giving up just 21.7 points per game And they are facing a Philadelphia team that has gone 3-5 against the spread in their last eight. If there is a chance for the Eagles to possibly slip up it could be this week, but I highly doubt it.
Prediction
The Saints are getting just 5.5 in this game and I wonder if that hasn't anything to do with the availability of Hurts if he can go or not. If Hurts can go, I could see that line going up a little bit more. If it goes up by another two points, I could see the Saints being a serious possibility. But I do think the Eagles will win and cover. Eagles 27, Saints 17
Betting trends
Saints are 18-5 ATS on the road after gaining 150 passing yards or fewer last game since 1992.
Saints are 81-55 ATS on the road in the second half of the season since 1992.
Eagles are 8-1 ATS as a home favorite the last 2 seasons.
Eagles are 44-23 ATS at home after failing toc over in 2 of the last 3 since 1992.
Statistical leaders
Saints:
Passing: Andy Dalton – 2,495 yards, 17 TD, 8 INT
Rushing: Alvin Kamara – 717 yards, 2 TD
Receiving: Chris Olave – 940 yards, 3 TD
Defense: Demario Davis – 6.5 sacks
Eagles:
Passing: Jalen Hurts – 3,472 yards, 22 TD, 5 INT
Rushing: Miles Sanders – 1,175 yards, 11 TD
Receiving: A.J. Brown – 1,304 yards, 10 TD
Defense: Haason Reddick – 14 sacks
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert football picks today. And if you enjoyed this New Orleans Saints - Philadelphia Eagles prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily NFL projections and previews.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
