Eagles vs Packers 2019 NFL Week 4 Odds, Preview & Pick

The Philadelphia Eagles head to Green Bay to take on the Packers Thursday night in a bit of a shambles. The Eagles completed an impressive comeback in Week 1 to knock off their NFC East rivals, the Washington Redskins. However, since then they have lost two games by a combined seven points, losing in Atlanta by four and then at home to Detroit by three. The Eagles do have a bit of the injury bug, as several defensive starters along with wideout Alshon Jeffery are on the shelf, but that is life in the NFL. The Packers have started the season 3-0 and have one of the top defenses in the league. They shut down the Chicago Bears in their season opener, winning 10-3 on the road, and then beat the Vikings by five and the Broncos by 11, both at home. Will Green Bay move to 4-0? Or will Philadelphia figure things out on both sides of the ball? Check out our NFL betting preview before you lock in any wagers.

Eagles vs Packers 2019 NFL Week 4 Odds, Preview & Pick

Watch live as head coach Doug Pederson meets with the media. https://t.co/5Oei36U5zn

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) September 23, 2019

When: Thursday, September 26, 2019, 8:20pm ET Where: Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI TV: NFL Network / FOX Radio: Westwood One Live Stream: ESPN+ NFL Odds: Green Bay -4.5 / O/U 46.5

Why should you bet on the Eagles?

Betting on the Eagles here is a tough proposition. First off, they have to travel on a short week to play in one of the toughest road environments, against a quarterback in Aaron Rodgers who looks to be back to his old self as far as taking the team on his shoulders and pulling them to a win. Philadelphia will not have DeSean Jackson or Alshon Jeffery running routes, which means Nelson Agholor will remain the top receiving option, and he has been disappointing so far. Even so, the Eagles are 6-9 as road underdogs straight up since Carson Wentz took over at quarterback and Doug Pederson started as head coach. That’s the tenth-best figure over that time frame since the start of the 2016 season. They have covered eight times in those 15 games, in part because Pederson prepares his teams well every week and provides the right kind of motivation. However, the defense is not doing much in the way of pressuring the quarterback, and when you give Aaron Rodgers time, he will carve you defense into ribbons.

Why should you put your money on the Packers?

Green Bay is 49-30-3 against the spread when they are favorites at home since Aaron Rodgers took the starting quarterback job in 2008. That means they have covered 62 percent of the time, #1 in the NFL since the start of 2008. In those games, they have won 65 of 82 contests straight up, which gives them the second best winning percentage. Rodgers missed 10 home games in which they were favorites, and the Packers only won three of those straight up. So they are even tougher as a home favorite when Rodgers is playing. With that said, Thursday night games are weird. Teams are still tired from the game the Sunday before, and offensive production tends to suffer as a result. This means that games start to grind down and move more slowly. We saw this in the season opener when the Packers and Bears struggled to a 10-3 finish. However, Rodgers was able to take over the game when he needed to, finding his spots against a Bears defense that is among the league’s elite. If you like Green Bay, you see Rodgers doing the same thing to take the game to the Eagles when the Packers need him the most.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

I’ve been a big fan of Carson Wentz since he came into the  NFL, but injuries have kept him from getting back to that potential he showed in his rookie campaign. With all of their injuries, I’m not sure that Eagles can keep up with the Packers on the road. This game should move slowly, as most Thursday night contests do, but I see the Packers pulling away late for the win, with a final score of Green Bay 23, Philadelphia 16.