Michael Perez / AP
Philadelphia Eagles’ Jay Ajayi celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday, Sept. 6, 2018, in Philadelphia.
Sunday, Dec. 15, 2019 | 2 a.m.
At a game below .500 despite coming into the season as one of the NFC favorites to reach the Super Bowl, the Philadelphia Eagles might be the most disappointing team in the NFL.
Bettors who have called for the Eagles to break out of their funk have seen the strategy backfire in recent weeks as they’ve failed to cover in four straight games. Busted bankrolls of past backers aren’t slowing the Las Vegas Sun’s handicapping contest competitors this week, though.
Two of the four sports writers in our prognostication contest are going with the Eagles as a 4.5-point favorite at the Redskins as their two-point best bet. The competition requires six weekly picks from each contestant from the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook’s SuperContest lines.
Read below to find all of this week’s picks and best bets.
Case Keefer
Points: 57 (48-36)
Buccaneers minus-3 at Lions
Bears plus-4 at Packers
Titans minus-3 vs. Texans
Chiefs minus-9 vs. Broncos
Cowboys plus-1 vs. Rams
Two-point best bet: Eagles minus-4.5 at Redskins. This line has already moved a lot, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it closed at 6. Philadelphia is getting healthier, which spells bad news for Washington. The Redskins have been in good spots for three consecutive covers, but this is not one.
Ray Brewer
Points: 55.5 (48-35-1)
Packers minus-4 vs. Bears
Bengals plus-9.5 vs. Patriots
Texans plus-3 at Titans
Chiefs minus-9 vs. Broncos
Chargers plus-2.5 vs. Vikings
Two-point best bet: Steelers minus-2.5 vs. Bills. There are few teams in the NFL playing as good as Pittsburgh. The Steelers have won seven of their last eight games, and expect to JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Conner to return from injury for a Sunday night game with Buffalo. Bills QB Josh Allen struggles against good competition, and the Steelers lead the NFL is sacks. Plus, it’s Sunday night in Pittsburgh.
Justin Emerson
Points: 51.5 (40-41-3)
Lions plus-3 vs. Buccaneers
Packers minus-4 vs. Bears
Steelers minus-2.5 vs. Bills
Chiefs minus-9 vs. Broncos
Jaguars plus-6.5 at Raiders
Two-point best bet: Vikings minus-2.5 at Chargers. Like most Chargers “home” games, there will be way more visiting fans. It mitigates the home-field advantage, where a sea of purple will invade the soccer stadium the Chargers call home. Minnesota has quite a bit to play for with a shot at the NFC North, where the Chargers were eliminated from contention. This could get ugly for the home team.
Mike Grimala
Points: 47.5 (37-46-1)
Buccaneers minus-3 at Lions
Patriots minus-9.5 at Bengals
Jaguars plus-6.5 at Raiders
49ers minus-10.5 vs Falcons
Rams minus-1 at Cowboys
Two-point best bet: Eagles minus-4.5 at Redskins. Sometimes it seems like NFC East teams can only win when they play other NFC East teams, so this is a good matchup for Philadelphia. The Eagles should have no problems on the road at Washington.
Past Winners: 2012 — Case Keefer; 2013 — Case Keefer, Ray Brewer (tie); 2014 — Case Keefer; 2015 — Case Keefer; 2016 — Ray Brewer; 2017 — Case Keefer, Jesse Granger (tie); 2018 — Case Keefer
Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.
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