The Philadelphia Eagles opened up as seven-point underdogs to Tom Brady and the defending Super Champion Buccaneers for their matchup in the Wildcard round of the playoffs. The line has since jumped up all the way to +8.5 for the Eagles, per DraftKings Sportsbook.
Being the underdogs in a a playoff game is nothing new for this Eagles team. We all know what happened in 2017 when the Birds were underdogs in every single matchup they faced that postseason. It would feel weird if the Eagles were anything but underdogs at this point.
But at +8.5? That seems a little big considering where both of these teams are at.
When the Eagles and Bucs faced each other earlier this season, the Eagles only lost by six points. And that was before the team’s rushing rebirth that’s dominated defenses for the past two months. Not to mention the Bucs are down a few key players. Antonio Brown is no longer with the team after doing some Antonio Brown stuff, Chris Godwin tore his ACL a few weeks ago, and Leonard Fournette has missed time after getting put on IR, although he may return for the playoffs.
Despite losing in dreadful fashion to the Cowboys in Week 18, the Eagles are one of the hottest teams in the NFL entering the postseason. Since Week 10, the Eagles are 6-2 and have posted a 13.5 margin of victory in the games they’ve won during that stretch.
Even if you’re not feeling great about an Eagles win, keeping this game close and within the 8.5-point spread is certainly reasonable. But, Tampa Bay does have one of the best records against the spread this season, posting a 6-2 record. Their 75% winning percentage is fifth-best in the league. On the other hand, the Eagles are 2-2 as road underdogs this season.
It’ll be interesting to see if this line continues to change throughout the week. If it stays at 8.5, there’s no doubt I’m going to take the points. The Eagles have the tools to pull off the upset.
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