Detroit Lions vs Philadelphia Eagles Predictions and Odds | NFL Week 1
Detroit Lions vs Philadelphia Eagles Betting Preview
Every NFL season begins with a handful of “buzz” teams that generate high expectations thanks to some offseason moves. Two of those teams will meet in Week 1 as the Philadelphia Eagles travel to Detroit to take on the Lions. WagerTalk NFL handicapper Andy Lang share his thoughts on the NFC matchup.
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| Sunday, September 11 | NFL Week 1 Betting Notes |
|---|---|
| Point Spread: | Philadelphia Eagles -4 at Detroit Lions |
| Total: | o/u 49 Points |
| Location: | Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan |
| Game Time: | 1:00pm ET / 10:00am PT (Odds Above Courtesy of DraftKings) |
| TV: | FOX |
Detroit Lions vs Philadelphia Eagles Analysis
The Lions are coming off yet another disastrous campaign where they went 3-13-1 on the season. As for the Eagles, they went a game above .500 at 9-8 and ended up falling short in the Wild Card round.
These teams met back in Week 8 of last season. It was Halloween and the Lions must have been seeing ghosts as they lost 44-6.
The Sky Is The Limit
The Philadelphia Eagles were something of a surprise playoff team last season after starting the season 2-5. They picked up pace later in the season and ended with a 9-8 regular season record. However they ended up falling short in the post-season as they lost 31-15 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card round.
The turning point of the season may have been the game against Detroit as their offense found it’s footing. They ranked 21st in DVOA coming into the game and ranked sixth for the remainder of the season.
Now they have added AJ Brown to the offensive attack and upgraded the defense significantly. The Eagles enter the season as slight favorites over the Dallas Cowboys to win the NFC East.
More Hard Knocks On The Horizon
The Lions started the season 0-8 before ending in a stalemate with Pittsburgh Steelers, and didn’t win a game until Week 13. The Lions are receiving extra love and off-season hype based on their Hard Knocks appearance coming into the season, however they still don’t have that much in the way of talent, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
Detroit ranked bottom-five against the run last season and that’s a recipe for disaster against a team like the Eagles.
The Lions do have intriguing weapons such as running back D’Andre Swift, wide receiver Amon-Ra St Brown and tight end TJ Hockenson. However Jared Goff is still the quarterback which is going to severely hamper the explosiveness of the offense.
Detroit Lions vs Philadelphia Eagles Prediction
As mentioned earlier, the Philadelphia Eagles crushed the Detroit Lions 44-6 in Week 8 last season. One thing that stood out was the monster game Dallas Goedert had with a commanding team lead in receptions and yards. He caught six of his seven targets for 72 yards while Quez Watkins was next in line with only two receptions for 18 yards. That gameplan makes sense considering the Lions allowed the second-most yards per game to opposing tight ends, behind only the Los Angeles Chargers.
Goedert’s receiving yards prop is set at 47.5 yards, which is a total he cleared in nine of 16 games last season. What really stands out is his production once Zach Ertz was traded from the Eagles after Week 6. Goedert cleared this total in six of his last ten games of the season, including four of his last five games.
Last season, Jalen Hurts leaned heavily on his tight ends with a tremendous 26-percent target share. Obviously AJ Brown has been added to the mix. However, between Hurts’ tendency to focus on tight ends and the Lions vulnerability to the position, Goedert should fly over this low total.
Prediction: Dallas Goedert OVER 47.5 Receiving Yards (-114 at DraftKings)
NFL Opening Line Report | Week 1
It’s game week! With all of the offseason news and moves finally in the books, how far have the NFL Week 1 point spreads and totals moved from their initial release? Join Drew Martin and Teddy Covers for The Opening Line Report as we discuss NFL line movement and where we project the point spreads to close this weekend. We hit the Detroit Lions vs Philadelphia Eagles game at the 14:01 timestamp.
NFL Odds Board
WagerTalk’s Live Odds Screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the NFL point spreads, totals and betting percentages for all of the Week 1 games, including this Detroit Lions vs Philadelphia Eagles showdown, from your desktop or phone.
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Meet the Author
Andy Lang has lived in Indianapolis his whole life, and like most people from the Hoosier State, he became fascinated with motor sports. That interest in motor sports turned into a desire to make money off the sport through fantasy contests and sports betting. Like most, he took his lumps when he first got started, but now he is one of the most respected NASCAR bettors in the industry. Andy has expanded that sports betting experience to become profitable in a number of other sports, transforming this interest from a side hobby to a major source of income.
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