Colts vs. Raiders and Saints vs. Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles are making a change at quarterback, and because of that we like the Eagles to cover a 7.5-point home spread Sunday vs. New Orleans and will parlay that with Indianapolis -1 at Las Vegas. Here’s a look at both games.

NFL Parlay Picks | 2020 Expert Analysis

Colts at Raiders (+1)

When: Sunday, 1 PM ET
TV: CBS

The Raiders got a miracle victory in Week 13 at the winless New York Jets to keep their playoff hopes alive, but Las Vegas played terribly for a second straight week. And it appears that Vegas will be without starting running back Josh Jacobs and safety Jonathan Abram again this week.

Devontae Booker got the start against the Jets on Sunday in place of Jacobs, rushing for 50 yards on 16 carries (3.1 yards per carry). Jacobs was missed by the Silver and Black, as the team rushed 25 times and averaged 2.9 yards per carry.

The Raiders could get back starting offensive tackle Trent Brown after he was activated Trent Brown from the reserve/COVID list. Brown hasn’t played since Week 5, most recently suffering from an air embolism in his bloodstream following an IV mishap. It’s unclear if he’ll actually be cleared to play in Week 14. Sam Young may have to start at least one more game.

Defensively, the Raiders will need to shore up against the run. Ty Johnson led the Jets in rushing with 104 yards and one touchdown, adding to the team’s overall total of 206 yards on the ground. Defensive coordinator Paul Guenther’s unit now faces a three-headed attack in the Colts.

Indy, meanwhile, comes off a 26-20 win in Houston and is tied for the AFC South lead. Rookie Jonathan Taylor missed his first-ever game in Indy’s Week 12 loss to the Tennessee Titans. But he certainly picked up where he left off last Sunday against the Texans, leading the team in rushing with 13 carries for 91 yards and also adding three receptions for 44 yards and his first-career receiving touchdown.

With Anthony Castonzo out due to a knee injury suffered vs. the Titans, Colts went with fifth-year veteran Le’Raven Clark at left tackle to start last Sunday’s game against the Texans. But just five offensive snaps into the game, Clark would go down with what has since been diagnosed as a season-ending Achilles injury; Chaz Green, the Colts’ third left tackle, took over from there. The Colts will likely rely on Green at left tackle moving forward until Castonzo, who is considered week-to-week, is able to get back in the lineup.

Against Houston, the Indianapolis defense recorded 5.0 sacks, one interception, one fumble recovery and didn’t allow any points in the second half. Entering today, the team ranked fourth in the least amount of points allowed in the second half. It was the third time this season the team didn’t allow any points in the second half. The Colts have only allowed 13 points in the second half in their last four games.

Saints at Eagles (+7.5)

When: Sunday, 4:25 PM ET
TV: FOX

Embattled Eagles coach Doug Pederson has benched Carson Wentz and will go with second-round rookie Jalen Hurts under center against arguably the top team in the AFC. May as well as the Eagles are on a four-game losing streak and haven’t scored more than 17 points in any of them. Wentz has taken a huge step back this year and leads the NFL in turnovers.

Hurts came off the bench in the Eagles’ 30-16 loss to the Packers last Sunday and outperformed Wentz. Hurts finished 5-of-12 for 109 yards with a touchdown and an interception while rushing five times for 29 yards. Wentz ended 6-of-15 for 79 yards and was sacked four times.

The Eagles ran 24 plays when Hurts was in the game for 131 yards (5.5 average) and scored six points (would’ve been seven if not for a missed PAT kick). The Eagles ran 36 plays when Wentz was in for 127 yards (3.5 average) and had three points.

Wentz has been a shell of himself this season, failing to move the Eagles offense consistently. Philadelphia’s season has crashed to 3-8-1 and it is 1 1/2 games behind the Giants and Washington in the NFC East.

“We’re not where we want to be as an offense,” Pederson said of this week’s change. “I looked at the whole thing and decided that for this week to look for that spark again to try to get the team over the hump, to try to get everybody playing better.”

New Orleans enters on a nine-game winning streak and is atop the NFC at 10-2. However, we like that 7.5 points and think Hurts provides a spark.