NFL Betting: Eagles a Huge Value Pick as Big Underdogs Against Ravens

Getty Eagles backup QB Josh McCown.

The Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens are set to face off in Week 3 of the NFL preseason on Thursday night in a game that is often referred to as a “dress rehearsal” for teams as kickoff to the regular season rapidly approaches.

However, for Philadelphia, the game may be more like a table read that a dress rehearsal. Don’t expect to see many of the Eagles big stars on the field for too long. Quarterback Carson Wentz isn’t expected to play at all, but it was reported by Ross Tucker that “some more of the starters will play a quarter.”

The Wentz assumption — along with a crazy Ravens preseason win streak — has made the Eagles a huge home dog for the preseason matchup, with Philly currently sitting at +210 on FanDuel Sportsbook.

The Eagles dropped their preseason opener to the Titans 27-10, but bounced back last week with a 24-10 victory over the Jaguars. The Ravens are 2-0 and we will check in on them a little lower down in this article.

This is the preseason and anything can happen, but here are some reasons to take the Eagles and the value.


Josh McCown Isn’t Some Average Backup

Josh McCown recently came out of retirement to help out the Eagles after they were slammed with injuries at the quarterback position.

McCown was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round in 2002 and has played for the Lions, Raiders, Dolphins, Panthers, 49ers, Bears, Buccaneers, Browns and most recently the Jets.

McCown has 17,707 passing yards and 98 touchdowns to his name in the NFL. His best year came with the Jets in 2017, when he started 13 games and passed for 2,926 yards with an 18-9 touchdown to interception ratio.

“When my feet hit the ground in the morning, I thank God,” McCown said of his return to the NFL. “Not only am I breathing, but I’m playing in the NFL again with an opportunity to play for a franchise like this. It’s a tremendous blessing. It’s very humbling.”

Derrick Gunn of NBC Sports Philadelphia has reported that the Eagles want to see two quarters out of the veteran, despite having just a few practices under his belt.

Clayton Thorson and Cody Kessler are the other Eagles QBs expected to see action.


Ravens Preseason Winning Streak is Enormous

One thing going against the Eagles is that the Ravens carry a ridiculous 15-game winning streak into the contest. According to NFL research, Vikings are only other team with 10-plus preseason wins since 2016 (11-3).

With a victory, the Ravens would pull off a “perfect season” of sorts, going 16-0 over the last four preseasons combined. The team’s last defeat came in 2015, when they lost 20-19 to the Atlanta Falcons and the team sounds inspired to get another victory.

“We like to win,” head coach John Harbaugh said. “The haters out there are going to have their own little snide comments. I think winning is better than losing, and we don’t do much different than anybody else.

“It’s not like we’re game-planning games, we’re playing like everybody else. I give our players a lot of credit, and our coaches. We like winning around here. Let’s keep doing it – in the regular season, also – for all the haters out there.”

The Ravens official site reported that starting QB Lamar Jackson will probably play just a quarter.

But all good things have to come to an end. And to be honest, a preseason winning streak is as much about luck as it is skill and good coaching.

Best bet: Eagles moneyline (+210)

Over-Under (35.5): Over

Parlay of the day: Eagles/Falcons/Raiders moneylines — $100 to win $1,130