Week 17 offers an NFC clash between the 6-9 New Orleans Saints and the 13-2 Philadelphia Eagles.
New Orleans has won two straight, including a 17-10 Week 16 road victory over the Cleveland Browns while Philly suffered a 40-34 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
Who will win this NFC tilt? Find out in our free NFL picks and predictions for this Week 17 showdown between the New Orleans Saints and Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, January 1.
Saints vs Eagles best odds
Saints vs Eagles picks and predictions
Philly has a banged-up offense and with QB Jalen Hurts, WR A.J. Brown, and RB Miles Sanders trending towards not playing, wide receiver DeVonta Smith becomes the top pass-catching option for backup QB Gardner Minshew.
Smith and Minshew hooked up eight times last week for 113 yards and a pair of touchdowns on a dozen targets in a 40-34 away loss to the Dallas Cowboys, and Smith has snagged four total touchdowns over his last three games.
The Eagles' top pick in the 2021 draft has hauled in 79 receptions for 1,014 yards with seven TD receptions this season and he has 27 catches for 455 yards and four TD catches over his last five alone.
Minshew did a more than adequate job last week in place of Hurts, slinging it for 355 yards with a pair of TD passes alongside two interceptions. Minshew isn’t mobile, and you can bet he will want to put on an aerial show in what might be his last game of the season.
It won’t be easy to throw the football against a stout New Orleans passing defense allowing the second-fewest passing yards and 1.1 TD receptions per contest, but if the banged-up Eagles offense is going to score, it will be through the air and Smith is the best bet for that to happen.
My best bet: DeVonta Smith Over 0.5 touchdown receptions (+157 at Betano)
Looking to bet on some NFL action? Here are two of the best bonuses* available:
A) DeVonta Smith & Dallas Goedert each Over 54.5 receiving yards BOOSTED to +375 at Caesars! Bet Now
B) New users at DraftKings can bet $5 and get $150 in free bets! Sign Up Now
*Eligible USA locations only. Also, check out our full list of NFL promo codes for 2023.
Saints vs Eagles spread analysis
The Eagles are -6.5 point home favorites, and I’m leaning heavily towards laying the points and going with Philly to cover the spread.
These teams are in completely different places as they enter Week 17. The Saints have a slim chance of reaching the playoffs. Meanwhile, if the Eagles win, they wrap up the top spot in the NFC and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Philadelphia could be missing their three best offensive threats, but the Eagles did score 34 points last week in Dallas at a similar disadvantage.
New Orleans has a solid defense but doesn’t score with any regularity on offense — the Saints are 22nd in scoring and have managed 20 or more points just twice in their past five games. They could also be without leading rusher Alvin Kamara and WR Chris Olave, and missing that much production makes it difficult to back the Saints against the 10th-best Eagles scoring defense.
Saints QB Andy Dalton has been serviceable, throwing for 2,495 yards with 17 scoring strikes and eight picks but just one interception over his last five. Olave likely won’t suit up and missing his top target on an already bad offense is a recipe for disaster against the stout Eagles defense.
The Saints have a 2-5 record (both straight up and against the spread) as the visiting team and haven’t given us any reason to trust them away from Caesars Superdome. Philly is 6-1 SU and ATS at Lincoln Finacial Field and should cover the 6.5-point spread.
Saints vs Eagles Over/Under analysis
We have strong defenses featured in this contest, and I’m leaning Under the oddsmakers' number.
The Saints defense has allowed 78 total points over their last five games, which is well below their 21-point season average. San Francisco was the only above-average offense they faced, but they held San Francisco to 13 points at Levi's Stadium.
Philadelphia boasts the 10th-best scoring defense in the league. They’ve allowed 125 points over their past five but face a Saints offense averaging 17.8 points per game on the season.
Saints games have a record of 9-6 to the Under, and the Under is 5-2 when New Orleans is away from Caesars Superdome. The Eagles are 10-5 to the Over, and the Over is 6-1 at Lincoln Finacial Stadium.
Sunday should be an intense game. New Orleans has to win this game, and we should expect the Saints' defense to come out firing. New Orleans is dead-last in takeaways, but Minshew is a turnover machine, and expecting a drive-killing turnover or two while missing a large percentage of their offense will keep this a low-scoring affair.
Saints vs Eagles betting trend to know
The Under is 4-0 in the Saints' last four road games. Find more NFL betting trends for Saints vs. Eagles.
Saints vs Eagles game info
| Location: | Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA |
| Date: | Sunday, January 1, 2023 |
| Kickoff: | 1:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | FOX |
| Opening odds: | Eagles -6.5, 43.5 O/U |
Saints vs Eagles latest injuries
Saints vs Eagles weather
Monitor gametime conditions with our live NFL weather info and learn how weather impacts NFL betting.
