The Philadelphia Eagles have dropped four of their last five, and star wide receiver A.J. Brown has already been ruled out. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have won four of their last five and would like nothing better than to defeat the defending NFC champ.
Please join me as I share my best bets for Monday’s Eagles vs Buccaneers NFC Wild Card game for January 16.
Eagles vs. Buccaneers Best Bet
Under 43 (-110) at BetRivers
This is likely the best bet on the board. At least for me, it is. We have two offenses that have been brutal recently. Philadelphia has scored 17 points or fewer in three of their last five and 40 points over their last three away games.
Eagles star receiver A.J. Brown has already been ruled out. Quarterback Jalen Hurts has never fared well against Tampa Bay; he’s thrown three scoring strikes with five interceptions over his three meetings with the Buccaneers. His scrambling ability has also been thwarted by a stout Tampa Bay defense allowing Hurts 44 rushing yards or fewer in those three previous meetings.
The Tampa Bay offense has struggled. Quarterback Baker Mayfield is really banged up with a rib injury and a bum ankle. The offense has scored 22 points over their last two, with the hobbled Mayfield under center. Bucs running back Raachad White has been awesome for Tampa Bay this season but faces the tenth-best Eagles rushing defense.
Finally, this game should be a low-scoring affair. Philly averages 20.7 points per road game, while Tampa Bay surrenders a sixth-best 17.1 points per home game. Flip that around, and we have a stalled Buccaneers offense with a gimpy quarterback and a team scoring just 43 points over their last two games at home.
Philly allows a robust 21.4 away points per game and has faced much stiffer offenses on the road than Tampa Bay has, and this game ends under the total at BetRivers IL.
Jalen Hurts Over 34.5 rushing yards (-114) at FanDuel
This is a good prop bet, but it’s too bad that bet365 wasn’t operating in Illinois because they have the best price (-110). No matter. We’ll pay the extra $4 vig at FanDuel IL because Eagles signal-caller Jalen Hurts will exceed this rushing prop.
Tampa Bay allows a stingy 16 rushing yards per game to quarterbacks, and while Hurts has failed to clear this number in four of their Eagles’ last five, this is a must-win situation. Hurts is their second-leading ground gainer. He’s missing his top playmaker in Brown, and I expect him to tuck it and run quite a bit Monday night.
