Sunday, December 13, 2020, Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 4:25 p.m. ET
Saints at Eagles Betting Preview: Saints (-7/-110), Eagles (+7/-110)
New Orleans Saints
The Saints (10-2) clinched a playoff berth last Sunday by defeating the Falcons and earning their ninth consecutive victory, but still have something to play for other than seeding. New Orleans can wrap up their fourth consecutive NFC South title with a victory.
Quarterback Drew Brees (ribs) is eligible to come off injured reserve this week, but the Saints figure to give him another week of recovery and have him play in Week 15 against the Chiefs. The Saints are 8-0 without Brees over the last two seasons.
Taysom Hill is 3-0 as the starter in place of Brees and threw his first two scoring passes in the victory over the Falcons this past weekend.
Philadelphia Eagles
Going nowhere fast, the Eagles are on a four-game losing streak and will move away from quarterback Carson Wentz as rookie Jalen Hurts will make his first career start Sunday.
Hurts took over for Wentz in Sunday’s 30-16 loss to the Packers and went 5 of 12 for 109 yards, with a touchdown and an interception. He also had 29 yards rushing on five carries. An Eagles’ defense that is seventh against the pass with 217.2 yards allowed per game, will look to hold Hill’s aerial game in check.
Philadelphia’s rush defense is in the bottom third of the league, though, and containing Saints running back Alvin Kamara could pose a problem. There is also Hill’s running ability to deal with.
Saints at Eagles Betting Pick for Week 14
Even with a playoff spot in hand, Hill figures to be plenty motivated knowing his run as the Saints’ starting quarterback is nearing an end. He will look to build off his two-TD performance last week and show that he can be the team’s QB of the future.
Hurts’ first start figures to give the Eagles a much-needed jolt of energy. If the Saints’ No. 2 rushing defense (76.1 yards per game) keeps Hurts’ scrambling abilities in check, New Orleans has more than enough for a 10th consecutive victory.
Saints at Eagles Betting Pick:
Saints 28, Eagles 17
Saints at Eagles Best Bet for Week 14
The Saints have the fourth best scoring defense in the NFL at 20.1 points allowed per game and have not given up more than 16 in any of their last five games. But that 16 came last weekend even though the Falcons barely had a rushing attack. The Eagles might be able to move the ball some, with play calls designed to get the most out of Hurts. It will give them some unpredictability, at least early.
Saints at Eagles Best Bet: Game OVER 44.5 total points (-110)
