Gambling on the Eagles in 2012
Philly.com, Inquirer, and Daily News coverage of the Eagles
Gambling on the Eagles in 2012
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
As I've written before, even if no one utters the words Dream Team this summer, the Eagles are not going to sneak up on anyone in 2012.
Want proof? Go to Vegas.
Joe Fortenbaugh of the National Football Post has an article up with lines for the first 16 weeks of the 2012 season, courtesy of Cantor Race and Sports Book. The Eagles are favored in 13 of their first 15 games. The only games in which they are listed as underdogs are at the Steelers (by 1 point) and at the Saints (by 2.5 points).
Here's a list of the games the Eagles are favored in:
Eagles (-7) at Browns
Eagles (-3.5) vs. Ravens
Eagles (-3) at Cardinals
Eagles (-4) vs. Giants
Eagles (-4.5) vs. Lions
Eagles (-6.5) vs. Falcons
Eagles (-4.5) vs. Cowboys
Eagles (-3.5) at Redskins
Eagles (-7) vs. Panthers
Eagles (-1) at Cowboys
Eagles (-5.5) at Bucs
Eagles (-7) vs. Bengals
Eagles (-9) vs. Redskins
It's obviously risky to bet this far in advance (actually, it's risky to bet in general), but a few games stand out here. It's always good to look at value. In other words, which lines are most likely to move by the time the games roll around. Here are a few guesses:
* The Eagles will be less than 9-point favorites against the Redskins in Week 16.
* The Eagles will be less than 6.5-point favorites against the Falcons in Week 8.
* The Eagles will be less than 7-point favorites against the Panthers in Week 12.
Do any others stand out for you? It's worth noting that the Eagles are favored in all five NFC East games listed, including at home against the Giants and on the road against the Cowboys.
Another way to look at the numbers is to use them to judge strength of schedule. In other words, the games in which the Eagles are heavy favorites can be considered their easiest games. Here's a ranking (again, not including Week 17 against the Giants) of their schedule, going from easiest to hardest, based on the lines above.
Week 16 vs. the Redskins (9-point favorites)
Week 1 at the Browns (7-point favorites)
Week 15 vs. the Bengals (7-point favorites)
Week 12 vs. the Panthers (7-point favorites)
Week 8 vs. the Falcons (6.5-point favorites)
Week 14 a the Bucs (5.5-point favorites)
Week 10 vs. the Cowboys (4.5-point favorites)
Week 6 vs. the Lions (4.5-point favorites)
Week 4 vs. the Giants (4-point favorites)
Week 2 vs. the Ravens (3.5-point favorites)
Week 11 at the Redskins (3-point favorites)
Week 3 at the Cardinals (3-point favorites)
Week 13 vs. the Cowboys (1-point favorites)
Week 5 at the Steelers (1-point underdogs)
Week 9 at the Saints (2.5-point underdogs)
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Sheil Great work again. You bring out things that noone else does.— dmanphilly- Dont gag — Sean s.
- Stupid column. Take a look at what you wrote after last years free agent signings. Remember the "dream team"? What are the chances of Vick playing every game this year? He's never done it before and he's not getting any younger.— farley
- This is as worthless as "information" can get!— eagleman5
- give me the dog every week aside from the Steelers and Saints games. lol @ Vegas as if someone else besides FF and Dog Killer are in charge...— PhillySportsAddict1969
- Just curious do u call ray lewis a murderer do u call donte stallworth a pedestrian killer how about michael boley do u call him child abuser or lawrence taylor a underage hooker rapist or do u only talk trash about ur own team?nobody ever talks about michael boley beating his five year old son so bad he was rushed to the hospital.he told police the argument became heated and turned physical.WITH A FIVE YEAR OLD!BOLEY IS 6-4 260LBS!the moral of this story beat ur kids not ur dog. — Sean s.
- show us where you saw that boley beat his 5 year old son and was rushed to the hospital. i googled it and only came up with claims from his son's mother using that in their alimony case to get 5x more money from him. there is no hospital or police record noting anything you are accusing him of. i understand the point you're making in regards to this guy's comments about vick, but don't go spouting off accusations that have no proof or foundation.
- I disagree that the information is worthless. You can have an opinion on the lines and how they may change and as Sheil implies, put a bet on a game that you think will change. falcons plus 6.5 that you can get now, but won't get later.— P Even
- Wow. You can get rich betting against the Eagles this year. Anything short of 13-2 AND covering in all 13 wins and you come out ahead. I need to head to Vegas (or an overseas sportsbook site) ASAP.— guyguy4
- You really don't understand how sports betting works. The Eagles only need to go 8-8 ATS this year for the bookies to win good money.
— conceptual_bro - Wow, what a find. For the life of me, I can't help but think if you took the Eagles opponents 16 weeks in a row, you'll end up in the plus side.— SilliBilli
- Sadly, sometimes betting lines are the best information out there.
— reb 
Comment removed.- Sheil does good work but this time of year hes just trying to mske something outta nothing.theres no news what do u want him to write about.— Sean s.
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