Do Michael Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles pick up where they left off last week? They take on the Chicago Bears as the favorites and we have our NFL pick for the game ready.
After immediately opening at eight points, the spread for Monday
Night Football has moved. Strangely though, the NFL odds can be found as high as 9 at
some places (5Dimes and Pinnacle) and as low as 7.5 at others (TheGreek and
bet365).
Either way, the Eagles are the clear NFL betting favorites on their own
field in the City of Brotherly Love.
Philadelphia comes into this game fresh off their best
overall performance of the season in a 34-7 trouncing of the Dallas Cowboys.
Starting out 2-4 SU, it was pretty much a must-win spot for the Eagles and they
came through with a great all-around effort.
Michael Vick and LeSean McCoy were both outstanding in the
victory with the latter dominating a strong running defense to the tune of 185
yards rushing and two touchdowns.
Is a third straight W coming for the Eagles?
Next up for Andy Reid's crew is another prime-time game,
this time versus the Chicago Bears.
The Bears will not be too upset to be 4-3 SU at this point given the tough schedule they've had so far. Before their bye week, they were able
to overcome the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24-18 in London, England.
That's two wins in a row for Chicago, but that mini-streak
is in real danger of ending against the improving Eagles.
A sign of their underachieving in the early stages of the
season, Philadelphia is 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games overall and have cashed
in only one of their last six home matchups. That one cover was of course last
week.
Chicago hasn't really been any better though. The Bears are
3-4 ATS on the season and have covered in just one of their past five games as
an underdog in the NFL odds.
Let's put trends to one side and get down to business for a
second. Which team should you roll with on Monday and which NFL picks hold the best value?
The Eagles are now riding a two-game winning streak for the
first time this season and have a great chance to get right back into the race
with home matchups against the Bears and the Arizona Cardinals next on the
agenda.
Philadelphia to prove too strong for Chicago
That convincing victory over the Cowboys had to be wonderful
for team morale, and I'm thinking that Philadelphia will use that new-found
confidence to pick up another double-digit win in Week 9.
Really the only advantage the Bears have is that they've had
to week to heal up. Other than that, the Eagles in my book have far more talent
across the board and I think that will ultimately make the difference.
Matt Forte, who by the way has yet to be offered a contract
extension, has accounted for almost half of Chicago's offense this season and
that imbalance could come back to haunt the Bears on Monday.
The Eagles, on the other hand, have so many different
players that can make things happen offensively. They have their own
mega-talented back in LeSean McCoy, a dynamic quarterback and multiple reliable
targets in the passing game.
With that in mind, I'm expecting the good times to continue
to roll in Philadelphia. If the Eagles can match their intensity from one week
ago, they should cover the NFL odds for a second consecutive week.
FREE Pick: Eagles -7.5
If you want some more
in-depth analysis on these two teams, check out our previous article on the
opening spread. We also broke down the total and which way we are leaning for
your viewing pleasure.
Share your thoughts in this game thread and give us your NFL picks for both the spread and total.