Coming off an ugly loss against the Dallas Cowboys, the Philadelphia Eagles are getting a lot more respect from New Jersey sportsbook apps than they’ve earned.
In fact, the Eagles are just slight road underdogs against the 5-1 Buffalo Bills this week.
Tight lines for this NFL Week 8 marquee inter-conference matchup aren’t that shocking.
However, a Philadelphia team looking to get back on track should probably be bigger underdogs against a Buffalo squad trying to keep the ball rolling and prove they are a real threat in the AFC this season.
Perhaps the fact the Bills barely survived Sunday against their AFC East rival Miami Dolphins is impacting oddsmakers’ thinking.
NJ sportsbooks may be showing a bit of an NFC over AFC bias.
The 5-1 Buffalo Bills
The Bills got their fifth win of the season Sunday posting a 31-21 victory over the winless Dolphins.
Although, Buffalo was down 14-9 to the hapless Dolphins at the half and needed the fourth-quarter offensive explosion quarterback Josh Allen provided to secure the win.
Allen went 6 for 14 in the first half. Then he got hot late, going 7-for-7 with two TD passes on two fourth-quarter drives to give Buffalo the 10-point win.
The question coming into the Eagles game will be if the second-year QB will stay hot against Philadelphia or start as slow as he did against Miami.
Questions also surround the Bills defense for the first time this season. Second-year cornerback Levi Wallace was burned repeatedly against Miami.
Plus, the Bills’ pass rush was less than impressive.
A 27-point Eagles loss in Dallas
In the meantime, the Eagles got down early against the Cowboys on Sunday night and were never really in the game. Philadelphia ultimately fell 37-10 to a Dallas team that had previously lost three in a row.
Eagles QB Carson Wentz went 16 for 26 for just 191 yards and a TD in the loss. He also threw an interception and fumbled a snap late, ending any hope of an Eagles comeback.
Plus, the defense could not stop Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott or wide receiver Amari Cooper. Elliott rushed for 111 yards and a TD on 22 carries and Cooper caught five balls for 106 yards.
Now, the suspect-looking 3-4 Eagles have suddenly lost two in a row.
Plus, they’ll head into a game against a Buffalo team whose only loss so far this season was to the undefeated New England Patriots.
Yet still, NJ sportsbooks aren’t even forcing the Bills to give up the standard three-point spread most home teams have to.
Eagles vs. Bills lines at NJ sportsbooks
Below is a look at the point spread, moneyline, and over/under lines at the top three NJ sports betting apps.
This includes DraftKings Sportsbook, FanDuel Sportsbook, and William Hill (Caesars NJ Sportsbook). Opening lines are in brackets as there has been some movement since Sunday night. Updated on Oct. 24.
| Eagles vs. Bills | DraftKings | FanDuel | William Hill |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spread | BUF -1.5 PHI +1.5 | BUF -2.5 (-1) PHI +2.5 (+1) | BUF -2 (PICK) PHI +2 (PICK) |
| Over/Under | 43 (42.5) | 43.5 (42.5) | 43.5 (42) |
| Moneyline | BUF -121 (-125) PHI +106 (+104) | BUF -128 (-116) PHI +112 (+102) | BUF -125 PHI +105 |
Eagles vs. Bills history
The history between the two teams couldn’t have informed oddsmakers too much, simply because there isn’t much of one.
The Eagles and Bills have only met 13 times in the NFL’s 100-year history.
The Eagles won all four meetings in the 1980s. Then the Bills won four straight in the 1990s.
The Eagles have won three out of four this millennium. This included a 23-20 win the last time the two teams met in 2015. It ended on a 30-yard game-winning field goal with just 3:26 left in the game.
However, both the Eagles and Bills rosters have turned over considerably since then.
Only time will tell if oddsmakers are right in giving the Eagles so much respect this week.
Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET at New Era Field in Orchard Park, NY. Fox will provide TV coverage of the game.