Sunday Night Football betting: Eagles at 49ers
The Philadelphia Eagles are coming off a defeat to a bitter rival, lost their starting quarterback and have to fly cross country for this week's game.
Think the Eagles have it bad? That doesn't compare to the San Francisco 49ers, who will host Philadelphia on Sunday night in search of their first victory.
Line moves
Books opened the Niners as 3-point home favorites. The line moved a half point midweek with the news that quarterback Michael Vick would miss Week 5, but the number has settled back to a field goal. The 49ers have a 2-2 ATS record while the Eagles are just 1-3 ATS.
The total has remained steady at 38 points, which is the second-lowest total on the Week 5 boards. San Francisco is 2-1-1 over/under this year. Philadelphia is 1-3 over/under.
Bay Area blues
Not much has gone right in what had been expected to be a promising season for the 49ers (0-4). A trendy pick to win the NFC West, San Francisco is averaging just 13 points per game - the second-lowest total in the league.
And the Niners have already switched offensive coordinators after head coach Mike Singletary dismissed Jimmy Raye following a dismal performance in Week 3.
The low point of the season, though, came in the waning moments in last week's matchup at Atlanta, where the Niners let a certain victory slip through their fingers - the fingers of cornerback Nate Clements to be specific.
With San Francisco trying to protect a one-point lead in the final 90 seconds, Clements intercepted a pass and brought it back 39 yards, only to have it knocked loose from him on the return.
The Falcons recovered at their own 7-yard line and promptly moved downfield for the winning score, a 43-yard field goal by Matt Bryant with two seconds to play that sent the 49ers to a crushing 16-14 defeat.
It was the second loss absorbed by the Niners on a last-second field goal. They also fell to defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans in Week 2 in their only home game thus far.
Quarterback Alex Smith needs to cut down on his turnovers. He has thrown for an average of 230 yards per game, but has just three touchdown tosses against seven interceptions.
Running back Frank Gore should get a heavy workload against an Eagles defense that is ranked 27th in the league against the rush, surrendering 139 yards per game. Gore also has 29 receptions for 263 yards, both team highs.
Lame birds
The Eagles (2-2) were having no problems offensively until Vick absorbed a jarring hit at the goal line in the first quarter and was knocked out of the game in last week’s 17-12 loss to the Washington Redskins.
Vick suffered a rib cartilage injury and is not expected to play Sunday. He was leading the NFC with a 108.8 passer rating and the Eagles are second in the NFC in scoring with 95 points despite last week’s 12-point output.
Kevin Kolb, the opening-week starter who lost his job to Vick after suffering a concussion in Week 1, struggled to get the offense moving last week. He finished 22-of-35 for 201 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Running back LeSean McCoy had 10 receptions for 112 yards, but he suffered a crack rib in the game. He has been cleared to play in Sunday’s game.
Kolb might be wise to target wideout DeSean Jackson, who had six receptions for 140 yards and a touchdown in a 27-13 win over the 49ers last season.
History
Philadelphia has won the last four meetings with San Francisco, which is looking to avoid going 0-5 for the first time since 1979. The Eagles are 4-0 ATS in that span and own a 6-4 ATS mark over their last 10 meetings with the Niners.
The over has cashed in five of the past six head-to-head games between these teams. The lone under in that span came in their most recent meeting, a 27-13 Eagles win that stayed under the 41-point total last year.
SNF - Eagles at 49ers
By Chris David
Sunday’s finale takes place in the Bay Area as San Francisco (0-4 straight up, 2-2 against the spread) welcomes Philadelphia (2-2 SU, 1-3 ATS) to Candlestick Park. A lot of pundits expected head coach Mike Singletary and the 49ers to make a move this season and challenge for the NFC West, but now the club is looking to avoid its first 0-5 start in over 31 seasons.
San Francisco is coming off a terrible loss at Atlanta (14-16) last Sunday. Leading by one late in the fourth (14-13), defensive back Nate Clements picked off a Matt Ryan pass and was on his way to the endzone before he was stripped of the ball, which gave the Falcons a second chance. Sure enough, Ryan made some money throws and Matt Bryant drilled a field goal for the Atlanta victory. The 49ers covered as seven-point road ‘dogs but gamblers taking the generous money-line price (+260) are still steaming.
A lot of the problems with San Francisco’s start are directly related to quarterback Alex Smith, who was intercepted twice last week and has a league-high seven picks on the year. The offense is averaging 13 points per game, which is second worst in the league. Running back Frank Gore leads the team in rushing (270) and receiving yards (263), plus he has the most receptions (29) on the team as well. Right behind him is tight end Vernon Davis (19 catches), which shows you that Smith doesn’t have a deep threat or incapable of making the big play.
Despite the struggles of the 49ers and Smith, the oddsmakers have tabbed them as three-point home favorites over the Eagles and some handicappers believe the line is wrong, including NFL expert Ed Meyer.
“The 49ers offense can’t score any points and they keep committing turnovers – yet they are still getting respect from the bettors. The Eagles are really getting insulted by the linesmakers. They are undefeated (2-0) on the road this season yet they are a field-goal underdog to a 0-4 team. Plus, this is the first of five straight games in which the 49ers are very likely to be favored. And with everyone else in their division sitting at 2-2, they still have a reasonable chance to win the NFC West. Hell, a 6-10 record might be good enough,” explained Meyer.
If you look at the future division odds for the NFC West at Sportsbook.com, you’ll see that bookmakers agree with Meyer’s future analysis. San Francisco and every other team in the division is listed as a 5/2 (Bet $100 to win $250) to win the group.
After this contest, the 49ers next six games don’t look tough at all. Four will be at home (Oakland, Denver, St. Louis, Tampa Bay) and two on the road (Carolina, Arizona). Is it possible to go from 0-5 to 6-5? Perhaps Meyer is onto something?
The professor did mention that Philadelphia is 2-0 (1-1 ATS) on the road this season but astute bettors know that QB Michael Vick was under center in wins over Detroit (35-32) and Jacksonville (28-3). Vick (ribs) has been ruled ‘out’ for this week, which brings Kevin Kolb back into the fold. The former Houston standout completed 63 percent (22-of-35) of his passes in the loss to Washington (12-17) last Sunday after relieving Vick. He tossed one touchdown but was also picked off as well and the Eagles had a chance to win late. Considering him a backup isn’t fair since head coach Andy Reid did tab him the starter at the beginning of the season and most would agree that he’s got more weapons in his arsenal than Smith and the 49ers, plus a more savvy attack too.
RB LeSean McCoy (ribs) is one of those primetime players for Philadelphia and though he’s banged up, he’s expected to play tonight. Defensively, the Eagles won’t have DB Asante Samuel (concussion) on the field. San Francisco has no key injuries to note.
The total on the game tonight is hovering between 38 and 39 points. The Eagles have watched the ‘under’ go 3-1, while the 49ers have seen the ‘over’ go 2-1-1. In this head-to-head series, the ‘over’ has cashed in five of the previous six.
Philadelphia has won four straight and five of six against San Francisco, including a 27-13 win last December from Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles led 20-3 at the break, largely due to three interceptions in the first 30 minutes by Alex Smith. And the score could’ve been worse but the Birds settled for two short field goals. Also, the last three trips to San Francisco for the Eagles have been nothing but golden for them and gamblers, with club notching impressive victories (40-26, 38-24, 38-17) against the 49ers. Will the trends keep rolling for Philadelphia tonight?
As always, kickoff is set for 8:20 p.m. EDT and NBC will provide national coverage.
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PHILADELPHIA (2 - 2) at SAN FRANCISCO (0 - 4)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
PHILADELPHIA is 2-0 against the spread versus SAN FRANCISCO over the last 3 seasons
PHILADELPHIA is 2-0 straight up against SAN FRANCISCO over the last 3 seasons
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
PHILADELPHIA vs. SAN FRANCISCO
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Philadelphia's last 6 games when playing San Francisco
San Francisco is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
San Francisco is 4-0-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home
PHILADELPHIA at SAN FRANCISCO
PHILADELPHIA: 14-4 Over off an Under
SAN FRANCISCO: 0-4 ATS vs. NFC East
PHILADELPHIA at SAN FRANCISCO
Eagles have won and covered last 4 meetings since ‘05. If 49ers getting points, note Singletary 9-1 last 10 as dog. Tech edge-slight to Eagles, based on series trends.
Philadelphia is 5-1 vs. San Francisco since 2002
San Francisco is 12-24-3 in the last 39 as favorites
Philadelphia Eagles take on 49ers
By: SBG Global
Bet Philadelphia at San Francisco
The San Francisco 49ers will try and get their first win of the NFL betting season as they host the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night in a game that will be televised on NBC.
The 49ers were expected to be the team to beat in the NFC West this season but they have again struggled on offense and continue to make mistakes. On the other side, the Eagles have to go back to Kevin Kolb at quarterback as Michael Vick is out with an injury.
San Francisco is a 3-point favorite with a total of 38 at SBG Global.
The 49ers have a number of issues but what stands out again this season is the poor play at quarterback. Alex Smith leads the league with seven interceptions but for some inexplicable reason he still has the confidence of his head coach, Mike Singletary. If the 49ers lose this game to go 0-5 it could be Singletary who is looking for work.
The Eagles are not very confident in their starting quarterback this week either. Kevin Kolb will get the start because Vick is out with a rib injury. Kolb has not played well this football betting season but he is getting another chance with Vick out.
Philadelphia might also be without running back LeSean McCoy who will be a game time decision with a rib injury. If Kolb gets time to throw he could have some success against a San Francisco defense that is 20th in the league in passing yards allowed per game.
The 49ers hold the all-time series lead at 16-11-1 against Philadelphia but they have lost the last four against the Eagles including last year. Philadelphia has also won the last three at San Francisco. Here are more betting stats for Sunday’s game:
* The Eagles are 11-4 ATS in their last 15 games as a road underdog.
* The Eagles are 0-5 ATS in their last five versus the NFC.
* The 49ers are 4-0-1 ATS in their last five home games.
* The 49ers are 1-3-1 ATS in their last five games as a favorite.
* The Eagles are 4-0 ATS in their last four meetings against San Francisco.
On the 'totals' board, the 'over' is 21-7 in the Eagles' last 28 games as an underdog. The 'under' is 4-1 in the 49ers' last five home games. The 'over' is 11-4 in the 49ers' last 15 games in October and 5-1 in the last six meetings between the two teams.