Eagles win total preview: Philly just needs to stay healthy

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No NFC East team surpassed its win total last season. The Philadelphia Eagles, however, were the closest.

In danger of finishing below .500, the Eagles ran the table down the stretch, going 9-7 to win the division title for the second time in three years. But ultimately, they fell short of their 9.5 win total.

Philadelphia has been given the same total in 2020. Will the franchise come through this time around, or spurn bettors yet again?

Let's make the case for both the over and under, and assess the value.

How many games will the Eagles win in 2020?	Odds
Over 9.5	-110
Under 9.5	-110

Case for the over

There's no way the roster endures as many injuries as it did in 2019.

The Eagles lost 13 players to the injured reserve last campaign. By the time Week 17 rolled around, nine Week 1 starters were still out. Factoring in the quality of their injured players, the Eagles were the second-unluckiest team in the league last season.

Now, a healthy Philadelphia squad possesses the talent to wreak havoc in the NFC.

PFF recently ranked the Eagles' offensive line as the league's 10th-best, a year after the unit sat No. 1. The group has never been a weak link under head coach Doug Pederson.

The skill-position corps' production also comes down to health. Philly's top three wide receivers missed a combined 24 regular-season games in 2019, with two running backs landing on the IR.

Tailback Miles Sanders is now primed for a huge second year, rookie wide receiver Jalen Reagor joins an exciting pass-catching group, and quarterback Carson Wentz could very well turn in his best statistical season.

Over bettors will also like how the schedule lines up. Philadelphia's combined opponents' win percentage from last season is just .486, good for the league's seventh-easiest path.

Case for the under

The advanced metrics didn't give the Eagles a break following the 2019 campaign despite the injury bug. Estimated wins pegged them for a slight bump (9.2 projected victories), while the Pythagorean wins forecast was a bit lower (8.8.).

Defensively, the Eagles' secondary has been inconsistent. The team brought in plenty of reinforcements to improve on last season's No. 16 pass defense DVOA. That includes cornerback Darius Slay, who's coming off the second-worst coverage grade of his career, according to PFF.

Which should you bet?

After all four NFC East teams went under their win total in 2019, I've already recommended going over on the Dallas Cowboys. Do the same with the Eagles.

Not every team that experienced bad luck the year prior is due for a rebound, and vice versa. But how Philadelphia performed despite suffering countless injuries grabbed my attention. Winning nine games and the division with a plethora of backups is pretty damn impressive.

Everything is coming together now for the club's roster. The offense should be significantly healthier in 2020, while the defense made a couple of key repairs through free agency and the draft.

Is Philadelphia a legitimate Super Bowl contender? I wouldn't bet on it. But 10 regular-season wins is certainly in the cards.

Pick: Over

(Odds source: theScore Bet).

Alex Kolodziej is a betting writer for theScore. He's a graduate of Eastern Illinois who has been involved in the sports betting industry for 12 years. He can quote every line from "Rounders" and appreciates franchises that regularly wear alternate jerseys. Find him on Twitter @AJKolodziej.

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