National Football League

NFL odds: NFC East team gaining favor with bettors

Updated Jan. 17, 2023 1:45 p.m. ET

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The bandwagon for bettors of the Philadelphia Eagles is filling up for the upcoming NFL season. 

The Eagles continue to get heavy betting action this offseason, said Dylan Brossman, FOX Bet sports trader. The action has caused Philadelphia's betting odds to shorten once again, so let's take a look.

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The Eagles went 9-8 in the first season under coach Nick Sirianni, then lost in the wild-card round to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-15.

Philadelphia is searching for its first playoff victory since the 2018 season.

So why are bettors all over the Eagles? The hype first started on draft night when Philadelphia traded for star wide receiver A.J. Brown. All the betting action right after the draft actually made the Eagles a liability at FOX Bet.

After things died down a bit, the Philly love picked up Wednesday when the team poached free agent cornerback James Bradberry from the NFC East rival Giants. 

Related: Eagles sign James Bradberry

In the pass-happy NFL, cornerback is a premium position on defense and Bradberry was tied for fourth in the NFL in passes defended (12) and tied for 12th with four interceptions last season.

The Eagles are trying to upgrade their defense, which ranked next-to-last in sacks last season (29). They signed free agent Haason Reddick , who had 11 sacks last season for the Carolina Panthers.

"It’s no surprise that the Eagles’ odds have continued to shorten as Philly’s hype grows this offseason," Brossman said. "The Eagles now have two legit cover corners with their latest addition, James Bradberry, set to line up opposite Darius Slay. 

"Up front, they have been bolstered by Georgia rookies Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean, as well as free-agent Haason Reddick. On the offensive side of the ball, A.J. Brown has joined fellow playmaker DeVonta Smith to make things easier for everybody."

Here are some current odds on the Eagles at FOX Bet:

Eagles regular season wins: Over 9.5 -125 (bet $10 to win $18) | Under 9.5 +100 (bet $10 to win $20)

Eagles make playoffs: Yes -133 (bet $10 to win $17.52 total) | No +100 (bet $10 to win $20)

Win NFC East: +190 (bet $10 to win $29)

Win NFC: +1400 (bet $10 to win $150)

Win Super Bowl LVII: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310)

Jalen Hurts Offensive Player of the Year: +4000 (bet $10 to win $410)

Jalen Hurts NFL MVP: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310)

Jordan Davis Defensive Rookie of the Year Bet Boost: Was +1000, now +1200 (bet $10 to win $130)

Nakobe Dean Defensive Rookie of the Year: +1600 (bet $10 to win $170)

The Eagles were an outlier in the pass-first NFL last season, leading the league in rushing attempts (550) and rushing yards (2,715).

Philadelphia is banking on the continued development of quarterback Jalen Hurts, who also led the team in rushing (784 yards) last season. Adding weapons on offense should help in that development.

"On paper, the Eagles have surrounded Jalen Hurts with all the pieces that he needs to succeed," Brossman said. "If the Eagles can stay relatively healthy, their fate will ultimately come down to the maturation of the third-year QB. Further strengthening the Eagles’ hopes is the fact that they have one of the easiest schedules in the league — I expect them to be favored in eight of their first nine games this season."

The Eagles also have the third-easiest schedule, based on opponents' combined record last season (133-154-2). 

Despite the optimism among bettors, there are reasons for caution.

The Eagles did not beat a team that made the playoffs last season and have not won more than nine games during the regular season since 2017 — when they went 13-3 and captured Super Bowl LII.

The Eagles have a losing regular-season record all time (599-627-27) and in the playoffs (23-24).

Despite all of that, the dynamic Hurts is the reason for the optimism.

"The Eagles’ odds shortened in every market on the heels of the James Bradberry news, but perhaps the biggest surprise was the money we saw come in on Jalen Hurts for league MVP," Brossman said. "This morning we moved Hurts’ MVP odds from +4000 to +2500.

"In the last 10 seasons, no one has won MVP honors on a team that won less than 11 games, aside from Adrian Peterson in 2012. The bettors backing Hurts must feel that their roster is now good enough for double-digit wins. If the Eagles can achieve this and Hurts improves on his dual-threat statistics, there’s no reason he couldn’t win the award."

So are you a Birds Believer? If so, head over to FOX Bet to place your wagers.

Play FOX Super 6 every week for your chance to win thousands of dollars every week. Just download the Super 6 app and make your picks today!

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National Football League

Philadelphia Eagles

Jalen Hurts

James Bradberry IV

Darius Slay Jr.

Nakobe Dean

Haason Reddick

A.J. Brown

DeVonta Smith

Jordan Davis