This season hasn’t quite gone as the Philadelphia Eagles had hoped. They are 3-2 five weeks into the season. Offensively, they have had some issues with consistency. While they do rank first against the run on defense (63.0 yards/game), that is due in small part to the relative ease teams have had throwing the ball against them (271.2 yards/game).
This was a team that many expected to run away with the NFC East. But with the Cowboys getting off to a hot start and the Eagles struggling out of the gate, that change Week Three. However, after two losses in a row for the Cowboys, the odds have changed again.
According to PointsBet, the Eagles are once again the favorites to win the NFC East:
- Philadelphia Eagles -130
- Dallas Cowboys +121
- New York Giants +1200
- Washington Redskins +15000
It is not hard to wonder why oddsmakers made the switch. Yes, the Cowboys lost the last two weeks. But a case could still be made that Dallas played better (at least this week). While they did play three poor quarters against the Green Bay Packers Sunday, the one good one got close to completing the comeback.
As for the Eagles, they beat the New York Jets and their third-string quarterback, 31-6. That is not much of an accomplishment—but they did win, and that is what is important.
So, the Eagles are now favored to win the division. Does that mean you should bet on them? Not yet.
If they were favored because Carson Went is playing like an MVP candidate, the run game is on track, and the defense has dominated opponents, then—yeah, they would be worth getting behind. However, that isn’t why they are the favorites.
It is more because they are perceived (for now) as the best team in an otherwise lackluster division. Washington is so bad they just fired their head coach and have yet to win a game. The Giants became a lot more interesting when they inserted Daniel Jones into the lineup. But he failed his first real test against the Minnesota Vikings last week.
Dallas had become the favorite after getting off to a 3-0 start (while the Eagles got off to a 1-2 start). Dak Prescott looked phenomenal in new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore’s system. Defensively, they had been doing enough to win.
But they had also played some pretty weak opponents. Once they faced a decent opponent in Week Four (the New Orleans Saints), the defense wasn’t bad, but the offense was ineffective. Then they faced another good opponent in Week Six (the Green Bay Packers). This time, the defense and offense were ineffective; Dak Prescott was especially ineffective.
With how they had played the last couple of weeks, Dallas no longer deserved to be the division front runners. Since the Giants and Redskins didn’t either, that only left the Eagles.
So—should you bet on them (or Dallas)?
If you feel strongly about either team to win the division, wait before betting on them. Right now, your payout is not going to be anything special. Give things a week or two and see if their odds get longer. At that time, it may seem like betting on them is a bad idea.
But if we know anything about both teams, it is that they are incredibly inconsistent. A couple of bad games will not be indicative of what the season could entail for either.
