New England Patriots vs Philadelphia Eagles Prediction, Odds, Preview 08/19/2021

Game Time: 4:30 pm ET, Thursday, August 19th, 2021
Venue:   Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia,Pennsylvania
Where to Watch: NFL Network 

Patriots: 1-0 (AFC East)
Eagles: 0-1 (NFC East)

DraftKings: Spread: New England -2, Over/Under:  37.5 points

Bet365:  Spread: Patriots: -2,  Over/Under 38 points

Patriots are +2000 to win the Super Bowl

Eagles are +6600 to win the Super Bowl

Patriots: Marvin Hall, Rashod Berry, David Wells

Eagles: Adrian Killins, Caleb Wilson

Eagles:

Jalen Hurts QB
Miles Sanders RB
DeVonta Smith WR1
Jalen Reagor WR2
Greg Ward  WR3
Zach Ertz  TE
Lane Johnson RT
Brandon Brooks RG
Jason Kelce C
Isaac Seumalo  LG
Andre Dillard  LT

Patriots:

Cam Newton  QB
Damien Harris  RB
Nelson Agholor WR1
Jakobi Meyers  WR2
Kendrick Bourne  WR3
Hunter Henry  TE
Isaiah Wynn  LT
Mike Onwenu  LG
David Andrews C
Shaq Mason RG
Trent Brown  RT

Coaches:

Patriots: Bill Belichick ( NFL Legend)
Eagles: Nick Sirianni (New Guy)

Philadelphia lost their preseason opener to the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-16.  Preseason scores don’t count for anything but you can bet on them.

Philadelphia went 4-11-1 in 2020.  That’s right they had a tie!  Last season the Philadelphia Eagles had a young talent at quarterback by the name of Carson Wentz.  To hear the old timers tell it Carson was just an offensive line away from being MVP every year.  In 2020 Carson had 2620 passing yards with 16 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. Rookie QB Jalen Hurts got a few contests under his belt as well with 1061 passing yards. RB Miles Sanders 867 yards, WR Travis Fulgham 539 yards.  Linebacker Alex Singleton led the defense with 120 tackles.

The Patriots beat the Washington Football team 22-13 in their first preseason game.  Preseason scores don’t count for anything, neither does beating the Washington Football Team.

The Patriots were 7-9 in 2020.  A weird season for everybody because of Covid testing and protocol and because Tom Brady was gone.  Tom left his job and his Hall of Fame coach behind for fun in the sun in Tampa Bay and another Super Bowl win.  The starting New England quarterbacks were Cam Newton and briefly Jarrett Stidham.  Cam threw for 2657 yards, 8 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.  Jarrett threw for 256 yards, 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions.   Running back Damien Harris rushed for 691 yards, wide receiver Jakobi Meyers caught for 729 yards, and the defense was led by Safety Adrian Phillips who logged 109 tackles.  

The Eagles were atrocious last year 4-11-1.  They were in the worst division in football with the Washington Football Team, the Dallas Cowboys, and the New York Giants.  This division was historically bad with 1st place still in question with 2 games to go last season and every NFC East team with a losing record.

The patriots were a bad team propped up by good coaching last year.  They were missing the big names that made them perennial champions.  For a long time the Patriots were the beneficiaries of being a great team in a lousy division.  The Buffalo Bills just got good after a decade of mediocrity, The Miami Dolphins are showing improvement after decades of mediocrity, and the New York Jets are and have been the awful Jets ever since Bill Belichick backed out of their head coaching job 20 something years ago.  If the patriots falter this year they could wind up 3rd in the AFC East for a while.

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Carson Wentz is gone from the Philadelphia Eagles.  Super Bowl champion quarterback Nick Foles is gone from the Eagles. Super Bowl winning coach Doug Pederson is gone from the Eagles.  The Playoffs are a memory.  The point spreads will rarely be in their favor this year.  They hope to rebuild it all with Quarterback Jalen Hurts in the pocket… I know, I know, they signed 14 year veteran quarterback Joe Flacco… and I know NFL teams love building teams around 36 year old quarterbacks that haven’t won anything in a half dozen years.  Jalen Hurts will be the quarterback.  If it doesn’t work with Hurts, Flacco will finish the season and by next draft they will both be gone.  In fact, all over the roster change is coming… Miles Sanders will be challenged at RB by Kerryon Johnson… both are young guys making young guy money.  Everyone not named Devonta Smith at wide receiver will have the chance to prove themselves and move up the depth chart.  The Eagles will be trying hard to prove themselves which makes them a great candidate to win a lousy preseason game in August.

Bill Belichick is never trying to prove himself.  He knows who he is… he’s the greatest NFL coach in NFL history.  He won 6 rings as the Patriots head coach, 2 rings as the New York Giants defensive coordinator, he smartly quit the head coaching job with the New York Jets 20 years ago before it even started, he even lost a couple Super Bowls to the Giants just to prove he was there he was there... and Tommy was outplayed by Eli.  The Pats went through a 2020 where they often found themselves the underdogs against even an average opponent.  It must have been frustrating for Bill Belichick.  In almost every coaching matchup he’s been in in the last 20 years he was the better man, the better mind.  So, to right the ship they went out and drafted Mac Jones out of Alabama.  The 15th pick in the first round.  I don’t know when on the schedule but some Sunday soon Mac will take Cam’s job as the starting quarterback of the New England Patriots and if it works?… Bill will take his last shot at being there again… because Bill Belichick knows who he is… and because of that Bill doesn’t give two spits about any preseason game.  Only that he gets good looks at each position and each scheme.  This makes them a great candidate to lose a lousy preseason game in a very hot August.

You will only glimpse starters in the first half this Thursday Night.  Bettors should take into account that scrubs can do wacky things with what you expect out of your football team.  They could stumble their way into the end zone more or less than you expect.  Remember some guy’s first game is also their last game when we are talking NFL preseason.

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