The San Francisco 49ers will attempt to avenge their 2020 home loss to the Philadelphia Eagles when they head to the city of brotherly love for Week 2. Here we discuss the odds and analysis from a betting perspective.


Philadelphia Eagles

Jalen Hurts proved quite capable in his first season-opening start, throwing for 3 touchdowns and rushing for 62 yards, and the Eagles defense held the Atlanta Falcons to 2 field goals and 260 total yards in Atlanta.
Miles Sanders averaged 4.9 yards per carry, rushing for 74 yards and catching 4 passes for 39 yards, rookie DeVonta Smith caught an 18 yard touchdown pass and led the team with 71 receiving yards and 6 catches on 8 targets. New head coach Nick Sirianni and new offensive coordinator Shane Steichen established a running game that averaged 5.6 yards per carry and totaled 173 yards on the ground.
The Eagles spent money on defense in bringing in safety Anthony Harris and linebacker Eric Wilson who tallied 4 and 9 tackles, respectively, and new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon's unit sacked Matt Ryan 3 times and held him scoreless and to 164 yards passing.

San Francisco 49ers

Jimmy Garoppolo threw for a touchdown and 314 yards without an interception, Elijah Mitchell rushed for 104 yards on 19 carries with a touchdown and Deebo Samuel led receivers with 189 yards on 9 catches and a touchdown.
A pick-six off of Jared Goff helped build a 31-10 lead by halftime, seemingly putting the game out of reach, and new defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryan's unit had appeared to be holding its own for most of the first half despite Detroit having decent success running the ball up the middle and T.J. Hockenson getting open consistently.
But the injury bug once again did not waste time in rearing its ugly head on the 49ers with Raheem Mostert going out after only two carries to what would be a season-ending knee injury, and Jason Verrett tearing his ACL in the fourth quarter, rendering an already thin secondary less able to stop Detroit's offense. Though much of it came in garbage time after turnovers, the Niners defense giving up 430 yards to Jared Goff and the Lions offense and 116 rushing yards on 24 carries is concerning.

Prediction

Losing Jason Verrett could be considered a season-altering injury for a 49ers defense that faces uncertainty after the departure of Robert Saleh and after its performance in Detroit. San Francisco is reported to be in the process of signing Dre Kirkpatrick and its secondary will need more from K'Waun Williams and rookie Deommodore Lenoir in Week 2 against the Eagles. Questions about the Niners secondary and the success of Jalen Hurts and Philadelphia's offense putting up 32 points on the road may have contributed to this total getting bet up to 50.5 from its opening at 45.5.


But the Eagles success in Week 1 came against a bad Atlanta Falcons team and the Niners defense, which finished 7th against the run and 4th against the pass in 2020, is likely not as porous as it appeared at times in its opening game. Though Philadelphia's defense may have looked impenetrable because the Falcons have a poor offensive line and offense, the Eagles defense appears to be an improved unit and it should prove to be challenging in its home opener.

The Niners offense may have looked more potent against a very bad Lions defense and it will likely not have similar success against a tougher Eagles defense and in the team's second of back-to-back road games at the early start. Considering that San Francisco's defense has had some difficulty with mobile quarterbacks, we do not think the Eagles should be getting more than a field goal at home and if picking a side can only see value in taking the points with the home underdog.

In the last six contests between these teams, the total has gone over 50 only one time with the rest all finishing with 47 points or fewer. We anticipate both offenses focusing on ball control, expecting the Eagles to try and keep the ball from Kyle Shanahan's offense and Jalen Hurts out of higher risk situations by leaning on Miles Sanders and the running game, and Shanahan to continue to anchor his offense to the run, all of which are conducive to a lower scoring game. Pick: Under 50.5

Season ATS: 1-0
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