History is on the Philadelphia Eagles side tonight vs. Falcons
Arbitrary calendars will have you believe that the first day of fall strikes on September 22nd. I, however, believe that fall truly begins the moment a prolate spheroid (a.k.a. a football) is booted to kick off the NFL regular season.
This year, that happens to occur tonight at 8:20 PM EST as the defending super bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, host the Atlanta Falcons. Tonight’s match-up contains the two teams that have represented the NFC in the super bowl the past two season. As you well know, one fared a lot better than the other while battling the New England Patriots.
Despite being the defending super bowl champions, the Eagles have seen a bit of disrespect by Vegas and the general public. After opening Eagles -4.5, the line has teetered between -1 and a PK leading up to tonight’s match-up.
Historically, defending super bowl champions hosting the NFL’s opening game have seen a respectable spread. The returning champion has participated in the first game of the season since 2004;
All spreads courtesy of FantasyData.com
- 2017 Patriots -9 vs. Chiefs
- 2016 Broncos -3 vs. Panthers*
- 2015 Patriots –7 vs. Steelers
- 2014 Seahawks -4 vs. Packers
- 2013 **
- 2012 Giants -3 vs. Cowboys
- 2011 Packers -4 vs. Saints
- 2010 Saints -5 vs. Vikings
- 2009 Steelers -5 vs. Titans
- 2008 Giants -4.5 vs. Redskins
- 2007 Colts -6 vs. Saints
- 2006 Steelers -1 vs. Dolphins***
- 2005 Patriots -7.5 vs. Raiders
- 2004 Patriots -3 vs. Colts
*Trevor Semian replaced the retired Peyton Manning
**Ravens were +7.5 at the Broncos. The game was moved to Denver to prevent conflicts with the Democratic National Convention.
***Charlie Batch started for the injured Ben Roethlisberger
In those games, the returning champions went 6-4-3 against the spread, 6-3-3 if you don’t count the Semian start. However, they went 11-2 straight up in those affairs. With this game being essentially a PK, it is hard not to say that history is on the Eagles side.
As you can see, the Eagles will close with the worst spread to date. Of course, there is the absence of Carson Wentz, Alshon Jeffrey and Mack Hollins tonight, but Nick Foles was and still is the Super Bowl MVP. The defense, the heart and soul of this team, added Michael Bennett, Haloti Ngata, Nigel Bradham and Daryl Worley in the off season. Let’s also not forget that Nick Foles and the Eagles defeated Matt Ryan’s Falcons in the playoffs last year during the divisional round, 15-10.
In the gambling word, it is hard to put a metric on emotions and motivation. The Eagles return to Philadelphia and the Linc tonight to raise their banner. Nick Foles returns to the field a changed man who can earn himself some money with a great start to this season and a rabid fan base who is ready to upset Matt Ryan and the Falcons.
Next. Week 1 NFL GPP picks for FantasyDraft. dark
My Pick: Eagles -1 or PK
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