Steve Maltepes, known as “The Philly Godfather,” will impart his gambling wisdom on the Eagles and where the smart money is going on various pro football games each weekend this season. Maltepes is one of the nation’s hottest sports betting experts who appears weekly on national radio and has his own website, www.thephillygodfather.com [thephillygodfather.com].
Los Angeles Rams (1-2) at Philadelphia Eagles (2-1), 1:00 p.m. Sunday
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The Line: Rams minus-3.5/Total: 42.5
What is the line telling you:
The Rams’ defense is all banged up heading into Philly, while the Eagles’ offense is limping into this home game. The good news is that the Eagles have owned Sean McVay, winning 6 of the last 7 meetings against him.
The Birds are back home after an embarrassing Monday night loss, so the betting public is expecting them to bounce back in a big way. However, I’m not sure the bookmakers do. Even with their 1-2 start, the Rams are still the odds-on favorite to win the Super Bowl. Meanwhile, the Eagles have seven teams ahead of them in the Super Bowl odds.
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If I recall correctly, the Eagles haven’t been +3.5-point home underdogs since the 2018 NFC Championship Game against the Vikings, so that’s a little bit of a tell here. The bookmakers have clearly downgraded this Eagles team since the season started.
Bottom line:
The look-ahead line for this game before the season was Rams -1, yet we’re now sitting at Rams -3.5—a 2.5-point move toward Los Angeles despite all the injuries the Rams are dealing with.
And here’s another number that jumps out: When’s the last time a sub-.500 team came into Philly, while the Eagles were sitting in first place, and was laying -3.5 points? Maybe never.
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If you’re looking to invest in Philly this week, you might be walking into a trap. The books are begging Philly fans to take the points with the Birds.
I’m not biting.
I think the Rams are the right side here. If you want a little insurance, buy it down to Rams -3.
Prop bets for the game:
Davante Adams anytime TD +115
Dontayvion Wicks anytime TD +280
Jalen Hurts over 170 passing yards -150
(Betting lines are subject to change.)