[h=1]How to bet Philadelphia-Carolina[/h]
NFL Vegas Experts, ESPN Chalk
ESPN INSIDER
NFL Week 7 has arrived and includes a Sunday night matchup between the Eagles and the Panthers. ESPN Chalk's Vegas experts are here to provide analysis on the game. Note: All odds courtesy of the Westgate Las Vegas as of Saturday morning.
[h=2]Matchup: Philadelphia Eaglesat Carolina Panthers[/h]Spread: Opened Carolina -3; still Carolina -3
Total: Opened 47; now 45.5
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[h=2]Against the spread[/h]Dave Tuley says:
Public perception: The Panthers, usually not a really popular public team, picked up some street cred with their 27-23 win at Seattle as 7-point road underdogs.
Wiseguys' view: The sharps laid the -3 (some books had it at even money), but there's been just as many to snap up Eagles +3.5 when those pop up. This will likely continue to waver between the two numbers through the weekend.
Tuley's take: While I'm certainly becoming more of a believer in Carolina, I'm not there yet. Besides, Philadelphia has also been getting better, winning and covering three of its past four games. With DeMarco Murray finally getting on track, the Eagles will pose problems for the Panthers' defense while I can't seeCam Newton able to keep up this week.
The pick: Eagles
Erin Rynning: The Panthers are off to an impeccable start with a 5-0 record. Last season was much the opposite, with a 3-8-1 start to the year that included a 45-21 thrashing by the Eagles in early November. It's been hard to completely buy-in on the Panthers in the early going as they have played an extremely soft schedule -- until last week, when they defeated the Seahawks. However, there's concern that this team will bounce to a disappointing effort coming off their huge win a week ago.
The Panthers are still being out-gained by their opponent by 19 yards on the season, which hardly reflects an undefeated team. Meanwhile, the Eagles put together their own two-game winning streak by defeating the Saints and Giants. The offense and Sam Bradford continue to look shaky at times, and the Panthers figure to hold up well against the Eagles' run game. The Las Vegas numbers fall right in line with my numbers and this game is an easy pass Sunday night.
The pick: Pass
Wunderdog: Carolina's come-from-behind win over the Seahawks last week moved the Panthers to 5-0. This is going to be a very difficult and emotional spot for the Panthers after their biggest win of the season to date, and they have to be feeling a little unbeatable. The Philadelphia offense gets a lot of attention, but it has actually been the defense making the most noise. The Eagles have forced 16 turnovers on the season and no team has topped 26 points against them through six games -- the last two have combined for a total of 24 points. The Eagles turned the Panthers over a lot last season and have a 4-1 against the spread (ATS) record in their past five in this series. Grab the points on Philadelphia in what could be a bit of a letdown spot for the Panthers.
The Pick: Eagles
[h=2]Prob bets[/h]71.5 rushing yards by DeMarco Murray (O/U -110)
John Parolin says: Murray figured it out, right? He got at least 20 rushes in each of the past two games for a combined 195 yards, so it's tempting to assume problems are solved. Are they? Chip Kelly wants his running backs to get in space, utilizing directional rushes more often than straight-up-the-middle rushes. Of Murray's 70 rushes this year, 51 were either to the right or to the left (as opposed to up the middle). In the first three weeks, Murray gained 30 total yards on those outside rushes, but had at least 75 in each of the past two weeks against the Giants and Saints.
Why does any of this matter? Enter Luke Kuechly. Since 2012, Kuechly has 171 tackles on rushing plays to either the right or left, fifth-most in the league. Only one player on the Giants or Saints has 100 tackles on those rushes in that span --David Hawthorne (102). The Panthers have allowed 312 yards on directional rushes this season, fourth-best in the league. New York has allowed 434 yards (21st), while the Saints have allowed more than double what the Panthers have (647, 31st in NFL). This defense is equipped to stop the kind of rushes Philly uses.
The play: Under
NFL Vegas Experts, ESPN Chalk
ESPN INSIDER
NFL Week 7 has arrived and includes a Sunday night matchup between the Eagles and the Panthers. ESPN Chalk's Vegas experts are here to provide analysis on the game. Note: All odds courtesy of the Westgate Las Vegas as of Saturday morning.
Total: Opened 47; now 45.5
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[h=2]Against the spread[/h]Dave Tuley says:
Public perception: The Panthers, usually not a really popular public team, picked up some street cred with their 27-23 win at Seattle as 7-point road underdogs.
Wiseguys' view: The sharps laid the -3 (some books had it at even money), but there's been just as many to snap up Eagles +3.5 when those pop up. This will likely continue to waver between the two numbers through the weekend.
Tuley's take: While I'm certainly becoming more of a believer in Carolina, I'm not there yet. Besides, Philadelphia has also been getting better, winning and covering three of its past four games. With DeMarco Murray finally getting on track, the Eagles will pose problems for the Panthers' defense while I can't seeCam Newton able to keep up this week.
The pick: Eagles
Erin Rynning: The Panthers are off to an impeccable start with a 5-0 record. Last season was much the opposite, with a 3-8-1 start to the year that included a 45-21 thrashing by the Eagles in early November. It's been hard to completely buy-in on the Panthers in the early going as they have played an extremely soft schedule -- until last week, when they defeated the Seahawks. However, there's concern that this team will bounce to a disappointing effort coming off their huge win a week ago.
The Panthers are still being out-gained by their opponent by 19 yards on the season, which hardly reflects an undefeated team. Meanwhile, the Eagles put together their own two-game winning streak by defeating the Saints and Giants. The offense and Sam Bradford continue to look shaky at times, and the Panthers figure to hold up well against the Eagles' run game. The Las Vegas numbers fall right in line with my numbers and this game is an easy pass Sunday night.
The pick: Pass
Wunderdog: Carolina's come-from-behind win over the Seahawks last week moved the Panthers to 5-0. This is going to be a very difficult and emotional spot for the Panthers after their biggest win of the season to date, and they have to be feeling a little unbeatable. The Philadelphia offense gets a lot of attention, but it has actually been the defense making the most noise. The Eagles have forced 16 turnovers on the season and no team has topped 26 points against them through six games -- the last two have combined for a total of 24 points. The Eagles turned the Panthers over a lot last season and have a 4-1 against the spread (ATS) record in their past five in this series. Grab the points on Philadelphia in what could be a bit of a letdown spot for the Panthers.
The Pick: Eagles
[h=2]Prob bets[/h]71.5 rushing yards by DeMarco Murray (O/U -110)
John Parolin says: Murray figured it out, right? He got at least 20 rushes in each of the past two games for a combined 195 yards, so it's tempting to assume problems are solved. Are they? Chip Kelly wants his running backs to get in space, utilizing directional rushes more often than straight-up-the-middle rushes. Of Murray's 70 rushes this year, 51 were either to the right or to the left (as opposed to up the middle). In the first three weeks, Murray gained 30 total yards on those outside rushes, but had at least 75 in each of the past two weeks against the Giants and Saints.
Why does any of this matter? Enter Luke Kuechly. Since 2012, Kuechly has 171 tackles on rushing plays to either the right or left, fifth-most in the league. Only one player on the Giants or Saints has 100 tackles on those rushes in that span --David Hawthorne (102). The Panthers have allowed 312 yards on directional rushes this season, fourth-best in the league. New York has allowed 434 yards (21st), while the Saints have allowed more than double what the Panthers have (647, 31st in NFL). This defense is equipped to stop the kind of rushes Philly uses.
The play: Under
