Once again, Amazon Prime’s “Thursday Night Football” brings us one of the best matchups of the week. Coming off a thrilling 35-34 win by the Baltimore Ravens over their division rival the Cincinnati Bengals, we get a battle for first place in the NFC East.
The Washington Commanders had been in first place since the end of September, but their loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, combined with the fifth straight win by the Philadelphia Eagles, has Philly back in the top spot.
This Thursday is the first of two meetings between the two, with the second coming the Sunday before Christmas, and in our nation’s capital.
Game Line: Eagles (-3.5)
Through four weeks, we were worried about the Eagles. They won in Brazil by scoring 34 points, but over their next three games – all against the NFC South – they lost two games and averaged just 17 points per game.
Most teams don’t like to have their bye week too early in the season, but a Week 5 bye was just what the Eagles needed. They regrouped, reset their season goals, and they haven’t lost since. In that span, they have three wins by 20 points or more, and quarterback Jalen Hurts has gone from four interceptions in the first four games to just one over the last five.
For the Commanders, take out the first week when Jayden Daniels was making his first NFL start, and he has been spectacular, and this team has been dominant. Tough losses to the Ravens and Steelers doesn’t change that, and only served to highlight that Washington isn’t like last year’s Houston Texans, who were riding the wave of a phenomenal rookie quarterback. The Commanders are a complete team and a real NFC contender.
Quarterback Proposition Bets
Derrick Henry leads the NFL with 12 rushing touchdowns. Second behind him is Jalen Hurts with 10. When center Jason Kelce retired, there were concerns about the future of the “Tush Push”, but Hurts is still nearly unstoppable from one-yard away (and beyond), and he remains the engine of the Philadelphia offense.
Along with paying +100 to score a touchdown on Thursday, Hurts has an over/under on passing yards of 224.5, and a rushing yards line of 38.5.
Lamar Jackson leads NFL quarterbacks in rushing yards. Second behind him is Jayden Daniels. There were concerns about the small frame of Daniels not being able to handle the wear and tear of a running quarterback at the NFL level, but he’s only missed snaps due to injury in one game, a 40-7 blowout win over the Carolina Panthers.
The runaway Offensive Rookie of the Year has an over/under of 226.5 passing yards and 41.5 rushing yards. Daniels is +210 to score a touchdown.
Running Back Proposition Bets
As great as Derrick Henry has been for the Ravens, the best free agent signing of the off-season might be Saquon Barkley. His 5.8 yards per carry is a career-high, and he’s on pace to set career-highs in rushing yards, total yards, and touchdowns.
He is -200 to score a touchdown on Thursday, and his lines for the night are 95.5 rushing yards and 110.5 rushing and receiving yards. He’s had at least 111 total yards in seven of his nine games this season.
Brian Robinson was out of the lineup for the Commanders last week because of a hamstring injury, and when asked about his status for Thursday, he said, “I think I have a great chance of playing.” If team doctors agree, he is paying +110 to score a touchdown. Until his status is more certain, the rest of his props are off the board.
Austin Ekeler found the end zone twice last week with Robinson on the sideline, and he is +115 to get another touchdown this week.
Pass Catcher Proposition Bets
Two of the very best wide receivers go head-to-head in this one, with A.J. Brown of the Eagles and Terry McLaurin for the Commanders. Brown has a game-high 82.5 receiving yards over/under, and teammate DeVonta Smith is at 52.5.
McLaurin is at 62.5 receiving yards, a total he has gone over five times this season, and in three of his four games. He’s caught touchdowns in four games in 2024, and he is +100 to get another one at Philadelphia. Noah Brown, the hero receiver in the Commanders’ Hail Mary win (his gloves from that game were sent to the Hall of Fame), is at 41.5 receiving yards and +280 to score a touchdown.
Touchdown prop bets for the Eagles have Brown at +105, Smith at +145, and tight end Dallas Goedert at +180.
With over 25 years of experience as a distinguished sports writer for renowned platforms such as Fox Sports and ESPN, Kyle Garlett is a sports betting specialist who has been at the forefront of documenting the global surge in sports betting and online gaming. Based in Denver, Colorado, Kyle hosts an NFL betting YouTube show and podcast. Kyle also has two sports books published by HarperCollins.
Kyle graduated the Azusa Pacific University in 1996 with a B.A. Degree in Communication and Journalism.
