With just two days remaining until the opening kickoff of Super Bowl LII, the New England Patriots sit as 4.5-point favorites over the Philadelphia Eagles on the 2018 Super Bowl odds.
The Patriots, however, opened as 6-point favorites after recording a 24-20 victory over Jacksonville as 8-point home chalk in the AFC Championship Game two weeks ago. But with betting favorites covering just once in 10 playoff contests this season, New England’s position on the Super Bowl 52 odds has slipped ahead of Sunday’s matchup at US Bank Stadium.
The Eagles, meanwhile, have regularly defied the oddsmakers since starting quarterback Carson Wentz went down with a season-ending knee injury. With veteran Nick Foles under center, Philadelphia has won four of five, including a pair of playoff wins as betting underdogs.
The 29-year-old now aims to become the first backup pivot to lead his team to a Super Bowl win since Tom Brady replaced Drew Bledsoe midseason en route to a Super Bowl XXXVI win.
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Foles has received plenty of help from a tight Philadelphia defense that has surrendered just 8.25 points per game over his past four starts. The Eagles have also proven to be a reliable option on the road this season, going 6-2 SU including a trio of outright victories as betting underdogs.
Containing opposing offenses on the road, though, has been a struggle. Philadelphia has surrendered 29.33 points per game over its past three games away from Lincoln Financial Field, and 23 or more points in 23 of its past 28 road contests.
Brady Leading a Patriots Offense in High Gear
For Brady, a win on Sunday would mark the first time that a regular-season passing yards leader has gone on to lead his squad to a Super Bowl championship. The 40-year-old has thrown 10 total touchdown passes while leading New England to five consecutive wins but continued to wear a glove on his throwing hand during media scrums this week after suffering an injury that required 12 stitches to repair prior to the AFC Championship Game.
The Patriots, though, have averaged 29.8 points per game over their past five outings, have tight end Rob Gronkowski (concussion) cleared to play, and sit as a strong -135 bet on the Super Bowl betting lines to score OVER 27 points this weekend. In addition, a Patriots touchdown pass is pegged as a +300 bet to be the first scoring play of Sunday’s game.
Consequently, the point total for Sunday night’s contest has climbed to 48.5 after opening at 48 on the Super Bowl odds. High-scoring affairs have been commonplace on Super Sunday in recent years, with four of the past five matchups finishing with OVER 50 points, including New England’s past two championship victories.
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But the total finished UNDER 45.5 in four of the Pats’ previous five Super Bowl appearances, including a 24-21 win over Philadelphia as 7-point favorites at Super Bowl XXXIX.
