Eagles vs. Lions: NFL Week 8 betting odds, preview, and pick

The Philadelphia Eagles will take to the road again this weekend as they visit the winless Detroit Lions in NFL Week 8 action.

How much longer will Eagles ride with Hurts?

After jumping out to a 7-0 lead last week against the Las Vegas Raiders, Philadelphia allowed 30 consecutive points in a 33-22 defeat. The Eagles have made the scores look respectable the past two games, but there is no hiding the fact they trailed by three touchdowns heading into the fourth quarter in each. In fact, the Eagles have trailed by double-digits entering the fourth quarter in four of their last five games.

The Philly fanbase is calling for the jobs of both head coach Nick Sirianni and quarterback Jalen Hurts, with many expecting Gardner Minshew to take over the quarterback role sooner than later. Hurts has struggled with completing simple passes of late, and against Tampa Bay and Las Vegas he completed just 30 of 60 throws for a combined 351 yards. He now ranks 26th in the NFL in quarterback rating this season.

Philadelphia’s best method of attack is running the ball, having found success on 58% of their run plays this season, which is fourth-best in the league. However, Detroit ranks 10th in the NFL in successful runs allowed at just 46%, and the Lions rank third-best in the league in explosive run percentage, allowing just 16 in 202 attempts. Additionally, running back Miles Sanders is questionable with an ankle injury. As such, they will likely need Hurts to make plays with his arms and legs in this game.

Philadelphia must find a way to protect Hurts in order to win the game. The Lions rank ninth in the NFL on pass play blitz rate at 27.1%, and as such no team allows a higher depth of target than their 10.3 yards per pass attempt. The concern for Philadelphia will be giving Hurts time to find those targets, as the Eagles are allowing pressure on one-fourth of all pass attempts, and have given up the fifth-most pressures this season.

Lions yet again capitulate down the stretch

So far this season, Detroit covered the spread more often than they haven’t—but that doesn’t matter when it comes to the standings. The winless Lions lost their seventh game of the season last weekend, blowing a double-digit lead as they fell 28-19 to the Los Angeles Rams in a game they led 19-17 entering the fourth quarter. Jared Goff answered head coach Dan Campbell’s challenge to perform better, but his interception in the end zone with five minutes sealed the loss.

So far this season, the Lions have led at halftime against a pair of 6-1 teams in Green Bay and Los Angeles, and should have beaten the now 5-2 Ravens if not for a record-setting field goal. Their schedule to open the season was beyond brutal, but now Goff will face a Philadelphia defense that ranks third-worst in the NFL in blitz rate, and runs the fewest defensive-line stunts of any team in the league. They also run a very generic pass coverage, which means Goff shouldn’t be forced to try to make poor decisions and can rely on his accuracy, with his 79.6% on-target rating ranking fifth-best in the league.

Detroit must trust their run defense and contain Hurts, and limit his ability to hurt them in the air. Over the past two weeks, the Lions have allowed 62 points, but now will face a Philadelphia team that has scored more than 22 points just once since their season-opener. They also must limit their turnovers and penalties, two things that cost them dearly against the Rams.

Philadelphia is an undisciplined team, allowing the most first downs off penalties in the NFL and conceding the most penalty yardage. If the Lions can play a clean game and win that portion of the game, it could give them a huge leg up in this contest.

Eagles and Lions Betting Trends

• The Eagles are 2-4 ATS in their last six games
• The Lions have failed to cover in their last 15 games as a home underdog
• The Under is 5-0 in Detroit’s last five games
• The Lions are 4-1 in their last five against the Eagles, with three straight wins
• The Over is 7-0 in the last seven games between the Eagles and Lions

Detroit will notch its first win of the season

What happens when a team that loves to fall behind early and rally late, faces a team that likes to take an early lead and then collapse down the stretch? It could be the perfect recipe for another gut-wrenching defeat for Detroit, but I’m not so sure that is the case. When you look at the games the Lions have lost late this season, they involved solid defenses and quarterbacks who made key plays when the games were on the line.

Neither of those things can be said about Philadelphia, a team with just two first-half offensive touchdowns over their past three games and whose comebacks fall short and seem to only happen as teams take their foot completely off the gas. That is one thing you won’t see from a Lions team that is fighting tooth and nail for their coach, and is desperate for a victory.

I like Detroit to not just cover the number, but to win the game outright. They are the better team, despite their record, and more importantly they are a more consistent team. Goff showed much improved play last weekend, and he should have time to deliver against an Eagles defense that has the fifth-fewest QB hurries in the league.

For a nice Same Game Combo, just follow the trends. The Eagles have topped 26.5 points just twice this year, while their opponents have topped 22.5 points in four of their last five. Pair the Eagles total under with the Lions total over for a solid payout.

Score prediction: Detroit 27, Philadelphia 23

NFL Week 8 PICK: DETROIT Moneyline (+145)

SAME GAME COMBO: LIONS team total O22.5/EAGLES team total U26.5 (+230)

Eagles vs. Lions pick powered by The Quant Edge

Our predictive engine is calling for the Eagles to win outright.