Philadelphia Eagles odds: How this year’s squad became title contenders

The last time we saw the Philadelphia Eagles in the playoffs was 368 days ago when they went to Tampa Bay for an NFC wild-card matchup with Tom Brady and the Buccaneers.

To say it didn’t go very well would be overly kind.

The Eagles fell behind 31-0 before the end of the third quarter. Their first-year starting quarterback looked completely overwhelmed. And when the 31-15 drubbing was over, the players limped off the field looking like middle-schoolers who just lost a street fight to a high school gang.

At that moment, nobody — not owner Jeffrey Lurie, not coach Nick Sirianni, not even the most devoted Eagles fan — would have predicted that, exactly a year later, Philadelphia would be preparing to host a playoff game.

After coming off a first-round bye.

Which was earned after an NFC-best 14-3 season.

A season in which the overwhelmed first-year starting quarterback grew into an NFL MVP contender in his second full season under center.

Indeed, it’s been a wild — and unexpected — 19-week ride for the 2022-23 Eagles. Here’s a look back at the journey from a wagering perspective.

It’s inaccurate to say the NFL betting market was bearish on the Eagles entering the 2022-23 campaign. Quite the contrary.

After what many deemed a successful 2022 NFL Draft — which included the draft-day acquisition of No. 1 wide receiver A.J. Brown from the Tennessee Titans — there was a “buy” sign hovering over Philadelphia throughout the wagering community.

For instance, following a 9-8 finish in 2021-22, the Eagles’ season win total opened at 8.5 in early spring. That number was bet up to 9.5 after the 2022-23 NFL schedule was released in mid-May. And some sportsbooks even got as high as 10.

Philadelphia’s schedule was pegged as one of the easiest in the entire league — a projection mostly based on the opinion that the NFC East would be the NFL’s worst division.

It turned out to be the best, as all four teams — Philadelphia, Dallas, New York and Washington — finished at .500 or better. All but Washington earned postseason berths and are still alive entering this weekend’s NFL Divisional Playoffs.

The Eagles also came into the season as either co-favorites with Dallas to win the NFC East or slightly behind the Cowboys. Philadelphia was anywhere from +130 to +150 to finish atop the division — and it attracted most of the NFC East betting action.

The Eagles’ Super Bowl odds also improved in the offseason. Philadelphia initially opened at +4000 at BetMGM shortly after the Los Angeles Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals to win Super Bowl LVI.

But by the time the preseason was over, the Eagles were down to +2500 in most spots.

So it’s not like there was Houston Texans-like doom and gloom projected for this year’s Eagles in NFL betting circles.

Then again, nobody foresaw the rocket-ship ride that was to come.

» READ MORE: Super Bowl odds: Eagles down to fourth choice to win it all

Philadelphia kicked off its season Sept. 11 with a 38-35 victory in Detroit. It was a classic not-as-close-as-it-seems win, as the Eagles took a 38-21 lead into the fourth quarter then let off the gas.

The Lions scored the final two touchdowns to cover as a 6-point underdog, but the game will be remembered for Jalen Hurts’ impressive performance.

The Eagles’ quarterback completed 18 of 32 passes for 243 yards and rushed 17 times for 90 yards and a touchdown. Just as importantly, he didn’t commit a turnover.

That would prove to be a season-long theme as Hurts lost the ball just eight times — six interceptions, two fumbles — all season.

Hours after Philadelphia took care of business in Detroit, the Cowboys suffered a season-opening 19-3 defeat to Tampa Bay at home. Adding injury to insult, Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott injured his thumb and wound up missing the team’s next five games.

Prescott’s injury immediately thrust the Eagles into the NFC East driver’s seat, as they took over for Dallas as the clear favorite to win the division. They would remain as such for the rest of the regular season.

Of course, the Week 1 triumph in Detroit was just a prelude of things to come. Philadelphia ultimately started the season 8-0, taking the field as the NFL’s only undefeated team for five straight weeks.

As the victories mounted, Philadelphia’s odds to win the NFC and Super Bowl dropped. After knocking off the Texans in Houston 29-17 on Nov. 3, the Eagles were a 2-to-1 favorite (+200) to capture the NFC and down to 5-to-1 (+500) to win their second Super Bowl.

As for those bettors who wagered on Philadelphia to finish with Over 8.5 victories? They had their money in the bank the Sunday before Thanksgiving, when the Eagles followed up their first loss (32-21 to Washington) with a 17-15 win in Indianapolis to get to 9-1.

Seven days later, Philadelphia delivered for Over 9.5 bettors with a 40-33 Sunday night home win over Green Bay.

» READ MORE: NFL playoffs odds: Bettors backing Giants, Bengals in Divisional Round

As Christmas approached, the Eagles were clicking on all cylinders. They arrived in Chicago for a Week 15 game against the three-win Bears with a 12-1 record.

They also landed in the Windy City as the unquestioned favorite to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl and trailing only the AFC’s Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs in odds to win the whole thing.

Beyond that, Hurts had completed his climb up the NFL MVP odds board and took the field in Chicago as the favorite to win the NFL’s biggest individual honor.

Unfortunately for the Eagles and their fans, Hurts departed Chicago with a damaged right (throwing) shoulder, which he injured while being tackled in the second half.

Hurts remained in the game and Philadelphia held on for a 25-20 victory to move to 13-1. But the quarterback would miss the next two contests with a significant shoulder sprain.

The Eagles lost those two games at Dallas (40-34) and to New Orleans at home (20-10). And all of a sudden, what had seemed like a foregone conclusion — that Philadelphia would win the NFC East and be the conference’s No. 1 seed — was in doubt.

The Eagles needed to end the regular season with a home victory over the Giants to secure those big prizes. They did, as Hurts returned to action at less than 100 percent and guided his team to a lackluster 22-16 victory.

Now following a week off, Philadelphia is set to once again entertain the Giants at Lincoln Financial Field in Saturday night’s NFL Divisional Playoff game.

The Eagles (-7.5) are heavily favored to knock off New York for a third time this season. However, they no longer are the clear favorite to emerge from the NFC, as the surging San Francisco 49ers have caught up to Philadelphia in the conference championship futures markets.

The 49ers also have overtaken the Eagles — albeit barely — when it comes to odds to win the Super Bowl.

That’s not to say that Philadelphia won’t be on the field at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Super Bowl Sunday. Or that it won’t bring home the Vince Lombardi Trophy for a second time.

In fact, history suggests the Eagles’ dream season will indeed end in Arizona. Because going back to 1950, the franchise has finished with exactly three losses — and no fewer than that — on three occasions.

The previous two ended with trips to Super Bowl XXXIX (24-21 loss to New England) and Super Bowl LVII (41-33 victory over New England).

» READ MORE: Eagles open up as a sizable favorite for playoff opener vs. Giants

The Inquirer is not an online gambling operator, or a gambling site. We provide this information about sports betting for entertainment purposes only.