Eagles-Vikings Preview: Three Best Bets For Monday’s Nightcap
The Eagles are a 2.5-point home favorite
The only thing better than betting on one NFL game Monday night is having the opportunity to bet on two, and that’s just what bettors will have the chance to do with a Week 2 double-header.
The Buffalo Bills will host the Tennessee Titans in the first of two games Monday night with the Eagles welcoming the Minnesota Vikings to Philadelphia for the nightcap. We’ve already broke down three best bets for the Bills-Titans clash, and now we’ll turn our attention to Vikings and Eagles, as Philadelphia is a 2.5-point home favorite per consensus data.
Prices listed below are courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
Eagles -2.5 -115
This is a big test and a prove-it spot for Philly as they’ll face the bright lights of “Monday Night Football,” combined with being at home in front of some of the craziest fans in sports. Last season, the Eagles surprised many by making the postseason but this time around the Eagles aren’t flying under the radar. This offseason, they added wideout A.J. Brown and upgraded many other positions on both sides of the ball. Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins is 8-17 in primetime games, too, and the Eagles have more pressure on them to perform well on the big stage. I believe they are up to the challenge.
Jalen Hurts Over 51.5 rush yards -115
Hurts has higher rushing prop projections than some starting running backs, and for good reason. Hurts is one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the NFL. He only has six yards less than the Eagles’ leading rusher and starting running back Miles Sanders. This Vikings defense looks solid against defending the pass after they shut down future Hall Of Famer Aaron Rodgers in Week 1, holding him to under 200 yards. Philadelphia doesn’t possess the same ability in the passing game as the Packers do, so I suspect they won’t force it Monday night. Look for Hurts to run the ball early and often in both designed runs and broken down plays.
Dalvin Cook Over 70.5 rush yards -140
Cook will be asked to carry the load tonight more so than Cousins will for the Vikings. Some of the reason why is to keep the pressure off Cousins. Another reason why is because Cook is special. Although he’s highly regarded as one of the best backs in the league, he oftentimes is an afterthought because of bigger stars on his team like Justin Jefferson. There is great value to be had on Cook tonight because the Eagles were leaky in their run defense last week, surrendering 144 yards to Detroit Lions running back D’Andre Swift. Swift and the other Lions backs feasted on the Eagles run defense, which allowed an average of 6.5 yards per carry. The Vikings should come into this game committing to the run.
