The Philadelphia Eagles playoff hopes took a major hit in their first home loss of the season as the Green Bay Packers visited on Monday Night Football and left with the win. Now the Eagles will try to bounce back on the road where they are just 1-5 this season. They need this, though, if they hope to get back to .500 and keep their NFC Wild Card hopes alive.
Moneyline: Philadelphia -120
Handicap/Spread Odds: PHI -1
Total O/U: 42
Last 5 Meetings: (Road/Home – Spread/Total)
| 12/13/12 | CIN 34 – PHI 13 | CIN -4.5 | O 45 |
| 11/16/08 | PHI 13 – CIN 13 | CIN 9.5 | U 41 |
| 01/02/05 | CIN 38 – PHI 10 | CIN -3.5 | O 37.5 |
| 12/24/00 | CIN 7 – PHI 16 | CIN 10.5 | U 36.5 |
| 11/30/97 | CIN 41 – PHI 44 | CIN 6 | O 40 |
On The Eagles Side of the Ball (5-6 Record, 5-6 ATS)
The Philadelphia defense was torched by Aaron Rodgers on MNF as he threw for 313 yards and two touchdowns. The Eagles fifth-ranked pass defense has allowed an average of 236.7 yards per game through the air this season so they will look to bounce back with a better performance against Andy Dalton and company this week. This matchup should be better for them as the Bengals are without A.J. Green and Gio Bernard – two of their best pass-catchers. The Bengals have also allowed the fourth-most sacks in the NFL this season (32).
Meanwhile, Carson Wentz threw for 254 yards against Green Bay but he didn’t have a touchdown or much help from the run game against the Packers. The Eagles have averaged 118.3 rushing yards per game this season but they were held to 81 in a brutal effort against Green Bay. Philadelphia must get more out of its running backs in order to have a shot at beating Cincinnati on the road this week, especially if No. 1 receiver Jordan Matthews is held out of the game because of the ankle injury he suffered in Week 13.
Last 5 Results:
| 11/28/16 | GB | L 13-27 | L -4 | U 47 |
| 11/20/16 | @ SEA | L 15-26 | L 6.5 | U 42.5 |
| 11/13/16 | ATL | W 24-15 | W -2 | U 48.5 |
| 11/06/16 | @ NYJ | L 23-28 | L 3 | O 42.5 |
| 10/30/16 | @ DAL | L 23-29 | L 5 | O 44 |
On The Bengals Side of the Ball (3-7-1 Record, 3-8 ATS)
A.J. Green’s injury was another blow to a Cincinnati team that has fallen apart this year as the Bengals have dropped three straight with an 0-3 mark against the spread over that span. It doesn’t help that running back Gio Bernard is out as well as Cincinnati’s lack of offensive weapons has exposed Andy Dalton. The Bengals will likely lean on Jeremy Hill to carry the rock early and often against the Eagles as they attempt to establish the ground game in order to take some of the pressure off of Dalton. Brandon LaFell and Tyler Boyd are serviceable at wide receiver but they don’t come close to bringing what Green brought to the table. The Cincinnati defense will need to bear down against the Philadelphia rushing attack this week as they have given up at least 100 rushing yards to all but three opponents so far this season.
Last 5 Results:
| 11/27/16 | @ BAL | L 14-19 | L 3.5 | U 41.5 |
| 11/20/16 | BUF | L 12-16 | L -2.5 | U 48 |
| 11/14/16 | @ NYG | L 20-21 | L -1 | U 49.5 |
| 10/30/16 | WAS | T 27-27 | L -3 | O 49 |
| 10/23/16 | CLE | W 31-17 | W -11 | O 46.5 |
Quick Analysis
The Bengals fell to 3-8 against the spread this season with last week’s loss at Baltimore as they failed to cover as 3.5-point underdogs. Cincinnati has enough talent to be a playoff team when healthy but injuries have him them hard this season and they are 0-3 SU and ATS over their last three games. Meanwhile, Philadelphia is 5-6 ATS this season but just 1-5 ATS on the road. It might be too much to ask of Wentz to lead the Eagles to a victory on the road in Cincinnati this week, especially with injuries starting to impact the Philadelphia offense as well.
Prediction
The Bengals have been awful SU and ATS of late but perhaps that means a regression towards the mean is in store this week versus the Eagles at home. The fact that Wentz and the Eagles are 1-5 against the spread on the road this season is a testament to how difficult it is for a rookie quarterback to win on the road in this league. But still, this should be a much more manageable contest for Wentz and company. The Bengals offensive line is frail and the offense is struggling to move the ball. Look for the Eagles defense to bounce back as they earn a narrow win in this spot.
Pick: Eagles -1
Note: Lines subject to change leading up to kick-off, so please be aware of the possibility of line movements.
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