Philadelphia Eagles vs New England Patriots 8/19/21 NFL PIcks, Odds, Predictions

The Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots meet Thursday night in week 2 NFL preseason action at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. The Patriots look for another win after beating the Washington Football Team last week, while the Eagles try to bounce back after losing their game to the Steelers.

The New England Patriots pulled away in their first exhibition with two fourth quarter touchdowns. In the victory, the Patriots produced 320 total yards and allowed 367 total yards. Mac Jones led New England with 87 passing yards on 19 attempts while Cam Newton and Brian Hoyer combined for 63 passing yards. Rhamondre Stevenson led the Patriots with 127 rushing yards and two touchdowns while Kristian Wilkerson and J.J. Taylor combined for 70 receiving yards. Defensively, Harvey Langi led the Patriots with eight tackles, Tashawn Bower had one sack and Joejuan Williams had one interception. The takeaway from the Patriots first preseason game is at the quarterback position, as Jones is putting serious pressure on Newton for the starting job.

The Philadelphia Eagles fell apart in the second half of their first contest and allowed 17 unanswered points. In the losing effort, the Eagles produced 277 total yards and allowed 410 total yards. Joe Flacco led Philadelphia with 178 passing yards and one touchdown while Jalen Hurts and Nick Mullens combined for 58 passing yards and two interceptions. Jason Huntley led the Eagles with 15 rushing yards on four carries while Quez Watkins and Dallas Goedert combined for 113 receiving yards and one touchdown. Defensively, Blake Countess led the Eagles with seven tackles, T.Y. McGill had one sack and Elijah Riley had one interception. The Eagles got good play out of their starters, but the second and third units have a lot to prove after blowing the game. Flacco also looked sharp for a guy who will be 37 years old in mid-january.

The Patriots are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 road games and 5-2 ATS in their last 7 Thursday games. The Eagles are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 home games and 5-1 ATS in their last 6 Thursday games. The under is 7-1 in Patriots last 8 games overall. The under is 7-3 in Eagles last 10 games overall. The road team is 5-0 ATS in their last 5 meetings.

The Patriots should probably be the favorite given their depth at the quarterback position and how they looked in their preseason opener. However, the Eagles should be a motivated bunch after blowing their opener and I expect a feistier defensive effort. We should also see a little more Jalen Hurts for the Eagles, which is something I consider a positive. I like the value of the Eagles at home with the free points.