Eagles at 49ers Sunday Night Preview; NFL Week 4 Betting Trends

Posted on: October 4, 2020, 05:47h. 

Last updated on: October 4, 2020, 10:49h.

Bill Huber Read More
Expertise: Sports Betting, Sports.

The NFL’s Sunday night game, which should have been a marquee showdown of Super Bowl contenders, instead will feature one team dressed as the Philadelphia Eagles and another team dressed as the San Francisco 49ers.

Philadelphia Eagles Carson Wentz
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz throws a pass against the San Francisco 49ers in 2017. Those teams will meet on Sunday night in Santa Clara, Calif. (Bill Streicher/USA TODAY Sports)

While positive COVID-19 tests have sucked their air out of the league this week, the Eagles (0-2-1) and 49ers (2-1) have been walloped by injuries. One heck of a football team could be formed by players who will be either inactive for this game or on injured reserve.

“The point spread is unusually low,” said Johnny Avello, the director of race and sportsbook operations for DraftKings, to Casino.org. “It’s 7.5 points, but the Eagles being 0-2-1, you’d think it’d be a lot more. San Francisco’s got a lot of issues. They won last week with a second-string team. They’re going to be a little healthier this week.”

The line started with the 49ers as 6-point favorites and has drifted up all week. By Sunday morning, it reached 7.5. The over/under got as high as 46 before falling back to 45.

Niners Have Injuries

The 49ers will be without several key starters. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo will miss a second consecutive game with a high-ankle sprain. The Niners didn’t miss him last week against the lowly New York Giants. Nick Mullens passed for 343 yards with a 108.9 passer rating in a 36-9 romp.

The Sunday night game has been moving towards the 49ers,” said Glenn Herzog, the senior sportsbook risk manager at Circa Sports, to Casino.org on Saturday. “The Eagles have been one of the more disappointing teams, so there is no surprise there with the line moving from -6 to -7.5.

“The injury swing from both teams is also a driving force here, in my opinion. The Eagles lost a key offensive lineman and two receiving options, while the Niners get back two of their main pass catchers.”

For San Francisco, running back Raheem Mostert, cornerbacks Emmanuel Moseley and Ahkello Witherspoon, linebacker Dre Greenlaw and defensive end Dee Ford will join Garoppolo on the inactives list. Defensive linemen Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas, cornerback Richard Sherman and running back Tevin Coleman are on injured reserve.

However, All-Pro tight end George Kittle and second-year receiver Deebo Samuel will be back in the lineup to provide some firepower for Mullens.

Eagles Have Even More Injuries

The Eagles have a dozen players on injured reserve. That includes veteran left tackle Jason Peters, who was placed on IR on Saturday. Peters joins guards Brandon Brooks and Isaac Seumalo and tackle Andre Dillard as starting blockers on injured reserve.

That means struggling quarterback Carson Wentz will have questionable pass protection against one of the NFL’s best defenses. He’ll also have questionable pass catchers. Receivers DeSean Jackson and Alshon Jeffery were ruled out for this week’s game, and rookie Jalen Reagor and tight end Dallas Goedert are on injured reserve.

Not huge interest so far, and barely a dime for Philly,” saidJason Scott, the vice president of trading for Roar Digital/BetMGM, to Casino.org late Friday night. “In fact, there’s only four games on Sunday with fewer bets. The 49ers were good last week with a lot of second-stringers. Despite that, I’m expecting late money coming for Philly with their parochial game base in New Jersey.”

Wentz, once upon a time a young star so bright that he signed a four-year, $128 million contract extension in June 2019, is last in the NFL in passer rating (63.9), yards per attempt (5.6), and interceptions (six).

Betting Trends

Here are some noteworthy betting percentages from FanDuel on Sunday morning.

  • The Baltimore Ravens, as 14-point favorites over the Washington Football Team, have received 89 percent of the spread money and 94 percent of the money on the moneyline.
  • The Arizona Cardinals, as 3-point favorites over the Carolina Panthers, have received 90 percent of the spread money.
  • The Seattle Seahawks, as 5.5-point favorites over the Miami Dolphins, have received 86 percent of the money and 92 percent of the money on the moneyline. One bettor will be especially invested in Seattle.
  • The Green Bay Packers, as 6.5-point favorites over the Atlanta Falcons, have received 86 percent of the spread money. Moreover, with a 56.5-point total, the over has received 90 percent of the money. That is the highest over/under this week.
  • Also of note, the New Orleans Saints are 3-point favorites at the Detroit Lions. Upon arriving in Detroit on Saturday, the Saints learned they had a player test positive for COVID-19. Subsequent tests came up negative, so that game will be played and is back on the board at sportsbooks. The Saints have received 79 percent of the spread money. The over of the 54-point total has received 80 percent of the money.