NFC East Week 15 Bettor’s Playbook: How An Eagles Win Over Washington Could Impact Playoff Race

Update: The Washington Football Team vs. Philadelphia Eagles game will now be played Tuesday at 7 p.m. 

Game on. Season on the line. The Dallas Cowboys delivered the favor the Philadelphia Eagles needed in NFL Week 14 by beating the Washington Football Team 27-20.

Can the Eagles parlay the favor by winning a crucial NFC East Week 15 battle against Washington Sunday at the Linc?

The Eagles opened as a slight favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook in the NFC East game of the week. Both teams are 6-7 and Washington currently holds the final NFC post-season berth.

New Jersey online sports bettors and fans will hone in on the Linc battle, one of two NFC East division matchups.

The other is for bettors only, with the 9-4 Dallas Cowboys invading the 4-9 New York Giants as a healthy chalk and with the division all but in hand.

Both games are at 1 p.m.

Washington vs. Eagles odds at NJ sportsbooks

How Eagles, Washington mesh with the big NFC Playoff picture

This is the logjam of logjams. The Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons sit right behind Washington with 6-7 records.

Four weeks to go. Every win is gold, every loss is a body shot.

Tiebreakers are too numerous to list. Suffice it to say that the Eagles probably need three wins in the last four games in order to challenge for a wild-card berth.

Intangible: Dallas will clinch the NFC East, most likely before they face the Eagles to close out the season on Jan. 9.  If the Cowboys are locked in their playoff position before that game, they would likely rest key players.

It could all fall in place for the Birds if they take care of business, starting Sunday.

NFC East betting results through NFL Week 14

How the NFC East has performed at the sportsbooks this season. Totals are tabulated from DraftKings odds at kickoff.

Philadelphia:

• 6-7  on the moneyline
• 7-6   versus spread
• 7-6   on the over

New York Giants:

• 4-9  on the moneyine
• 6-7    versus spread
• 4 -8 -1  on the over

Dallas:

• 9-4    on the moneyline
• 10-3     versus spread
• 7-6     on the over

Washington:

• 6-7  on the moneyline
• 5 -8 versus spread
• 5-8   on the over

Eagles vs. Washington betting overview

In terms of betting on the Eagles, they are favored for the fourth week in a row.

Who would have thought that earlier in the season? The Eagles are in Chalk City again.

They thumped the Saints 40-29 as a 3.5-point favorite but flopped as a 3.5-point chalk against the New York Giants, losing 13-7. They were a 6.5-point pick against the New York Jets and won handily 33-18.

A string of favorite roles is one of the first signs of a team turning the corner

The over-under total looks for the Eagles-Washington looks fair. Bettors will probably focus on news early in the week and wagers later because of personnel uncertainties.

Hurts is expects to play, monitor Sanders and Howard

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts will likely start. The ankle injury that forced him to miss the Eagles’ 33-18 triumph over the New York Jets in Week 13 has been given the recovery bonus of the bye week. Hurts is expected to be at full steam, but Gardner Minshew will be waiting in the wings just in case.

Watch news throughout the week on running back Miles Sanders, who was hurt near the end of the game against the Jets. Jordan Howard will provide a big lift if he’s able to return.

Washington has injury concerns too.

Who will be its quarterback this week?

Bettors will have difficulty with this one because Taylor Heinicke was pulled from the game against the Cowboys with a knee injury. He wasn’t in on the final possession when nearly rallied Washington into a tie from what had been a 27-8 deficit.

Heinicke says he expects to play against the Eagles. But with so much on the line, coaches won’t be too patient with any backward sign from either quarterback. Both teams have capable backups and badly need this game.

Bettors will have trouble trusting any props on the Washington quarterback situation.

Washington’s best deep threat, Terry McLaurin, left the Dallas game with a concussion. His return is questionable. If he does not play, this should have a noticeable impact on the game.

Strategy: Will Birds struggle to run away with this one?

The Eagles will likely try a ground-and-pound game. However, this may also be a good game to target DeVonta Smith and the rest of the receiving corps.

Washington is a strong team against the run. Third in the NFL behind the Baltimore Ravens and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Washington allows just over 91 rushing yards per game.

The Eagles’ stellar offensive line could create a running game early, but if Washington bottles that up, Smith is an excellent deep threat. And now that Dallas Goedert broke out with a pair of touchdowns against the Jets, it would make sense for both players to be showcased. If nothing else, they can keep the Washington defense honest.

Remaining schedules for Eagles and Football Team

Philadelphia has three of four at home:

• Dec. 19 vs Washington
• Dec. 26 vs New York Giants
• Jan. 2 at Washington
• Jan. 9 versus Dallas

Washington has three on the road:

• Dec. 19 at Philadelphiaa
• Dec. 26 at Dallas
• Jan. 2 vs Eagles
• Jan. 9 at New York Giants

Scoreboard watching is in full bloom for Eagles bettors, not only over the last four games but in each week.

The teams lumped in with the Eagles in the playoff chase all hit the road in Week 15.

Atlanta visits San Francisco, which holds the next-to-last playoff berth at 7-6. San Francisco earned a pulsating overtime victory against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 14.

The Saints visit the Bucs

The Vikings play the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football.

Cowboys vs. Giants odds at NJ sportsbook

Giants-Cowboys looking like a good game for NJ bettors

Micah Parsons continues to emerge as a star defensive player for Dallas. He had a pair of sacks and forced a fumble that led to a scoop and score for the Cowboys against Washington.

The Cowboys will be motivated to all but clinch the division. They have three more victories than the Eagles and Washington and will eliminate the loser of that matchup by defeating the Giants.

From a Giants betting standpoint, Big Blue didn’t cover against the Los Angeles Chargers but gave its bettors a thrill. Mike Glennon led them to two late touchdowns and the Giants grabbed an onside kick.

They had a chance for the backdoor cover at +10.5 but Glennon threw a pick to seal the Chargers’ 37-21 triumph.

If Glennon plays, he likes going to Kyle Rudolph and Saquon Barkley out of the backfield.

AP Photo/Chris Szagola