Eagles vs. Patriots Total Prediction
Will Sunday’s Super Bowl 52 matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots turn into a high-scoring affair at 6:30 p.m. ET?
Game Info
Matchup: Eagles (15-3) at Patriots (15-3)
TV: NBC, 6:30 p.m. ET
Line: Patriots -4.5
ODDS: According to oddsmakers from online sports book YouWager, the Patriots are 4.5-point favorites to beat the Eagles, who opened as 6-point underdogs. The total, meanwhile, hit the board at 48 but was bet up to 48.5.
Bet Super Bowl 52: Eagles vs. Patriots
PUBLIC BETTING: As of this writing, 53% of the betting tickets wagered at online sportsbooks are on the Eagles to cover the spread. That said, 57% of the money wagered at those same online sportsbooks are on the Patriots. Meanwhile, 58% of the betting tickets are also on the over.
INJURY REPORT: Nick Foles (ribs) is probable and so is linebacker Dannell Ellerbe (hamstring). The Eagles will be without Jason Peters (knee), Jordan Hicks, Achilles), and of course, Carson Wentz (knee), who are all out for the year.
For the Patriots, Rob Gronkowski (concussion) is the big injury news but he’s probable. LaAdrian Waddle (knee), Alan Branch (knee), and Deatrich Wise (concussion) are all probable as well. Marcus Connon (ankle), Nate Ebner (knee) and Dont’a Hightower (chest) are all out.
OUR PREDICTION: I fully expect the scoring to be low in the first quarter. In fact, the Patriots haven’t scored a single point in the first quarter of any of their Super Bowls coached by Bill Belichick. That said, the action should start to pick up in the second quarter and then really ramp up in the third. The extended halftime break allows teams to dive into their adjustments longer than a regular season game, which is often why you’ll see more scoring in the third quarter than you will in the first. (A good prop bet if you can find it.)
Now, will the score go over the total for the game? I believe it will. It’ll take Tom Brady and Co. a quarter or even a half to figure out that nasty Philly defense but once they do, they’ll punch it in the end zone. This isn’t a team that settles for field goals when they get in the red area. On the other side, Nick Foles is playing his best football and while New England is often stingy inside the 20, the Pats also give up a ton of yards so points should be at a premium for Philadelphia.
The over is 4-1 in the last five meetings between these two teams and is 8-2 in the Patriots’ last 10 playoff games. The over has also cashed in 12 of the Eagles’ last 14 games after accumulating more than 250 yards passing in their previous contest.
NFL CHAMPIONSHIP SUNDAY OVER/UNDER PREDICTION: EAGLES/PATRIOTS OVER 48.5