What do Philadelphia Eagles faithful make of one big win, can the Birds make it two in a row this weekend and how good is the Philadelphia Catholic League?
These are some hot topics coming from Why Eagles Why, the weekly YouTube Channel presentation from Pete Amato, Bill Gelman, Katie Kohler and myself.
The new episode is up on YouTube, or you can check our latest videos out at WhyEaglesWhy.com/why. Check out this weekly session that takes the pulse of the Eagles from the standpoint of people emotionally attached to them.
Eagles Fans Are Used to the Emotional Roller Coaster Ride
Why Eagles Why captures the heart-and-soul sentiment of the Eagles’ up-and-down ride.
At the moment, it’s up. Way up. The Eagles smashed the Detroit Lions 44-6 last week. The same winless Lions team that nearly toppled the Los Angeles Rams the week before.
Yes, the Eagles became 3-5 and on track to hit the over for their projected win total of 6.5 across the sportsbooks.
But did they bring Why Eagles Why hosts back into their camp.?
Not a chance.
“Katie K” left no doubt about the temporary perception of Fly Eagles Fly.
“As an Eagles fan, you’re always in,” she said. “They are like family. No matter how made you get at them, they are always family. The question more or less for me is ‘has your opinion of this team changed?. To me, no. The Eagles beat a Lions team that would have trouble in the Philadelphia Catholic League.”
For people not familiar, the Philadelphia Catholic League is a high-school sports league composed of nearly 20 Catholic High Schools in Philadelphia and surrounding suburbs.
The Lions indeed looked like they were already on the bye week that greets them this week.
But the Eagles did what they had to.
Pete noted the Eagles’ aggressiveness and ability to pound the ball, with four rushing touchdowns.
“But I’m not buying into this team yet,” he said. “They need linebackers, a quarterback in my opinion, and the head coach still needs to be more consistent with his game plan. The run game looked great. You’ve got one of the best running backs in the league not in the game (Miles Sanders was hurt). He has to be saying to himself, ‘what did I to this coach?’ “
**Pete added, referencing the Eagles’ sudden focus on the run game after ignoring Sanders to this point.**
Eagles vs Chargers Predictions, Previews & Parting Shots
The episode previews the Eagles-Chargers game and hits other points including the Eagles’ friendly second-half schedule and a search party for DeVonta Smith. He had the Eagles’ first touchdown of the year. That was two months ago. And none since.
Why Eagles Why captures the heart-and-soul sentiment of the Eagles’ up-and-down ride.
Besides hosting the show, Pete and Katie captured the dynamic vibe of Eagles fans who made the trip to Las Vegas for the team’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders two weeks ago.
Their video presentation shows up in the preceding episode of Why Eagles Why and looks targeted for a future special show. It brings another dimension to an NFL road trip.
Eagles vs Chargers Week 9 Numbers
The Carson Wentz-Jalen Hurts comparison gained more fuel Thursday night. Wentz had 272 yards passing, three touchdowns and no picks as the Colts thrashed the New York Jets 45-30. Just sayin.
It was only the Jets, but…that type of effort last year would have enabled Wentz to remain an Eagle. Stir the pot.
Here is a DraftKings Sportsbook report that may factor into handicapping presentations:
- Chargers are 4-1 against the spread in their previous five games on the road.
- Chargers are 6-2 against the spread in their last eight games against the Eagles.
- Chargers are 5-2 against the spread in their previous seven games as a favorite.
- Chargers are 4-10-1 against the spread against a team with a losing record.
- Over is 5-1 in Chargers’ last six games as a road favorite.
- Under is 5-2 in Chargers’ previous seven games overall.
A look behind those numbers.
The Chargers have given up 230, 181 and 142 yards on the ground the last three weeks. Message to Sirianni: pound the rock again, as in the 236-yard, four-touchdown effort the Eagles put up against the Lions.
The Chargers have not been in the same rhythm the last couple weeks. Remember the 47-42 triumph over the Cleveland Browns last month? That type of output is still possible.
Eagles vs Chargers Week 9 Numbers From a Philly perspective?
- Eagles are 1-5 in their last six games at home. Remember the last one? It came against the New Orleans Saints in December. Jalen Hurts’ first start. The Birds are winless at home this season.
- The under s 4-1 in Eagles’ last five games following a straight-up win. That number of 49 is a bit of a test. This is an attractive number to tease down by a touchdown and link with a few other bets in some parlays. Many bettors will look at this, bringing the number down to 42 or 43
DraftKings bettors nationwide heavily favor the Chargers at 77%, but big gamblers have wagered enough that the line was knocked down to Eagles +2 at DraftKings and +1.5 at FanDuel Sportsbook late Thursday night.
The betting arrow has been with the Eagles.
Look for sports betting props to emerge in this game, now that Thursday night action is complete.
One of the first to go up at DraftKings was Devonta Smith’s over-under for yardage. It’s 56.5 yards. The over is -120 and the under is -110. This is an interesting consideration because if the Eagles run well, you might have to hit a long one with him to bring this prop home.
Hurts’ over-under for touchdown totals is 1.5 for -115.