Betting Picks

Week 13: Philadelphia at Seattle SNF NFL Betting Preview and Pick

Terrific matchup on Sunday night in Week 13 as the NFL’s best team, the Philadelphia Eagles, visits a club that has made the playoffs in each of the past five years in the Seattle Seahawks. However, that postseason streak could be in major jeopardy with a loss. Seattle hasn’t been a home dog often since Russell Wilson arrived in the NFL but it is +6 against the Eagles.

That spread is the biggest Seattle has been an underdog under Wilson; the last time the Seahawks were at least 5-point home dogs was Nov. 13, 2011, vs. the Baltimore Ravens. Wilson was a graduate transfer at Wisconsin that year. Seattle hadn’t been a home dog since 2012 overall – until Week 11 on a Monday night when the Atlanta Falcons were -1 at CenturyLink Field and won 34-31. That ended a streak of six straight home covers as a dog for Seattle dating to that Ravens game.

There’s no question that Seattle (7-4 SU, 4-6-1 ATS) needs this game more. As things stand entering Week 13, the Seahawks are No. 7 in the NFC, losing a head-to-head tiebreaker with the 7-4 Falcons for the final wild-card spot. The schedule gets no easier for Seattle, either, over the next three weeks with a cross-country trip to improved Jacksonville, home game vs. the high-flying and NFC West-leading Rams, and a Christmas Eve visit to Dallas, the game the Cowboys get Ezekiel Elliott back from suspension.

Wilson has never missed the NFL playoffs nor has Seattle won fewer than 10 games in his tenure. He deserves some MVP consideration this season, tied for third in the league in passing yards (3,029) and third in passing TDs (23) while rushing for 401 yards and three scores. Simply put: He is the Seattle offense, especially considering the Seahawks tailbacks have struggled mightily to run the ball all season.

The Eagles (10-1 SU, 9-2 ATS) control their destiny to have home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs as they are the only club in the NFL with just one loss. They enter on a nine-game winning streak. That said, there’s not a ton of wiggle room with the Minnesota Vikings nearly as hot and just a game back in the conference. Philly has started 10-1 for just the fourth time in franchise history, having also done so in 2004, 1980 and 1949. The ’04 and ’80 teams reached the Super Bowl but lost – the franchise has yet to win one.

One could argue that Philadelphia has played an easy schedule thus far. Just two teams the Eagles have played currently have a winning record: Kansas City, which handed Philly its only loss but is in free-fall, and Carolina. The Panthers in Week 6 were the last team to lose to the Eagles by fewer than 10 points.

Seattle hosted Philadelphia in Week 11 last year and the Seahawks won 26-15. Wilson threw for a touchdown and even caught one, a first ever for a Seattle quarterback. Carson Wentz had a bit of a rough day in completing 23 of 45 for 218 yards, two scores and two picks – but he’s a vastly different player in 2017 and the MVP favorite.

Philadelphia is just 1-5 ATS in its past six against Seattle overall. The Seahawks play desperate here and cover that number.