Green Bay Packers vs. Philadelphia Eagles Betting Preview

For visual aesthetics alone, the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles are the perfect matchup for the NFL’s first foray into Brazil. The Brazilian flag is green and yellow, and one of the nicknames of the Seleção Brasileira de Futebol (the Brazilian national soccer team) is Verde-Amarela, which translates from Portuguese into English as Green-Yellow.

Green Bay calls itself Titletown, USA for the historical success of the Packers. That makes Brazil “Title-nation” for its record five FIFA World Cup championships.

The NFL claims 38 million American football fans in Brazil, and after showcasing two of the best teams in the NFC on Friday night in São Paulo, the league is banking on adding to that number.

Game Line: Eagles (-2.5)

The Eagles have given up a home game for the trip to Brazil, but they are the favorite. However, the last time we saw the Eagles play, they were terrible. At one time last year, the Eagles were 10-1 and on their way to another NFC title. Then they lost five of their last six regular season games, and were demolished in the Wild Card by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 32-9.

The last time we saw the Packers, they were great. Green Bay won its last three games of the regular season, put up 48 points on the Dallas Cowboys in a Wild Card win, and lost to the eventual NFC champion San Francisco 49ers by just a field goal in the Division round.

Before the Eagles hit the skids last year, they were 8-2-1 against the spread (ATS). They proceeded to lose their last six ATS, including the playoffs.

The Packers finished last year 10-9 against the spread, including the playoffs, and won their final four games ATS.

Quarterback Proposition Bets

Center Jason Kelce retired this off-season, and his absence may lead to struggles with the “tush push” goal line play that has been so effective for the Eagles. Even so, quarterback Jalen Hurts is +100 to be an anytime touchdown scorer.

Hurts has an over/under of 238.5 passing yards and 36.5 rushing yards. Hurts is +1200 to win the league MVP award.

A year ago, we weren’t sure if Jordan Love was the future in Green Bay. Some 12 months later, he is sixth in MVP odds at +1400, and his over/under on passing yards for Friday is 257.5. Love is +110 to finish the season with more than 4,000 passing yards, and is +1600 to lead the NFL.

Running Back Proposition Bets

Josh Jacobs was the leading rusher in the NFL two years ago with the Las Vegas Raiders. Now he’s a Packer, and his over/under on rushing yards in his Green Bay debut is 63.5. Jacobs is +850 to be the game’s first touchdown scorer, and he’s +115 to score an anytime touchdown.

The Eagles also have a new running back this season, as former rival Saquon Barkley comes to Philadelphia from the New York Giants. Barkley is +600 to score the game’s first touchdown. He’s paying -105 to score a touchdown at any time on Friday. Barkley’s over/under on rushing yards is 64.5.

In three career games against the Packers, Barkley has 239 yards rushing and three touchdowns.

Pass Catcher Proposition Bets

The advantage shifts heavily to the Eagles when it comes to the wide receivers in this game. A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith both had more than 1,000 yards last season, and Brown has gone for more than 1,400 yards in both of his seasons with the Eagles.

The over/under on receiving yards for Brown is 69.5. For Smith, that line is 60.5. Brown is +115 to be an anytime touchdown scorer, while Smith is +150 to score a touchdown.

None of the Packers had more than 1,000 yards receiving last year, but there were three players with more than 500. Jayden Reed was the leading receiver in 2023 with 793 yards. On Friday, his over/under on receiving yards is 43.5.

Romeo Doubs had 674 yards in 2023 and his Friday over/under is 39.5. Dontayvion Wicks finished last year with 581 yards, and his over/under in Brazil is 29.5.