Eagles vs. Washington Football Team Odds, Spread: Our Best Betting Pick, Prediction for Tuesday NFL Clash

Updated Eagles vs. Washington Odds

Whatever your favorite sport is, the chances are that it's been impacted by the spread of COVID-19 in recent weeks. The NFL is no different as multiple outbreaks within various teams prompted the postponement of three games to Monday and Tuesday.

One of those games includes the NFC East divisional matchup between the Washington Football Team and the Philadelphia Eagles. This week, Washington was one of the most hard-hit teams in terms of the virus as 17 players landed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Two of those players are Washington's starting quarterback Taylor Heinicke and backup Kyle Allen. In response, Washington signed quarterback Garrett Gilbert off the Patriots practice squad due to his familiarity with head coach Ron Rivera's offense after spending the 2018 season with him in Carolina.

With plenty of unknowns for this game, we'll do our best to determine who's available to play for Washington and assess how to find value with the current point spread. (Check out SB Nations' compilation of both teams' complete injury reports here.)

Washington vs. Eagles Matchup

Washington Decimated By COVID

The logical place to begin with Washington is at the quarterback position. Although Gilbert took all the first-team snaps in preparation for the game, there's still an outside chance that Heinicke or Allen could clear protocols. According to the league's updated protocols, players still need to produce two negative PCR or Mesa Tests, or a combination of both, to have a chance to play.

However, after WR Cam Sims cleared protocols on Sunday and was subsequently activated, there is some optimism that the Football Team could also activate one or both of their quarterbacks. It's worth noting that Sims landed on the reserve/COVID-19 list on the same day that Washington added Allen. Nonetheless, if either quarterback clears protocols, the question remains as to whether Washington would opt for a signal-caller who has missed a week of practice time on the field.

When you look at all three quarterbacks, I wouldn't necessarily say Heinicke is head and shoulders above the rest. His 46.2 Total QBR puts him 22nd overall in the league. However, Allen finished last season with a 68.2 Total QBR in the four games he played in. As for Gilbert, he made his first career start last season as a member of the Cowboys in a 24-19 loss to the Steelers. Gilbert finished with a 56.8 Total QBR in that game.

Heinicke and Allen make up just two of the 17 Washington players on the reserve/COVID-19 list. The other potential losses could be centers Tyler Larsen and Keith Ismael, along with tackle Cornelius Lucas. Defensive backs Kendall Fuller and Kamren Curl could also be ruled out in the secondary.

Can Eagles Win By a Touchdown?

Editor's note: Our analyst wrote the following when the Eagles were still 6.5-point favorites. They're now -9.5 as of 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday (check real-time NFL odds here).

The Eagles have a clear advantage with just two players in WR Quez Watkins and RB Jason Huntley on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Thus, it's no surprise that Philadelphia is as high as a 6.5-point heavy favorite in this contest. Interestingly, the point spread climbed as high as -12.5 on Friday morning before careening back down.

Much of this line movement's been driven by speculation based on who Washington's starting quarterback will be in addition to the number of players added to the reserve/COVID-19 list. This line finally settled in at 6.5, which highlights the efficiency in the market. However, if you've been following the line movement on this game, you'll know the Eagles were available as low as -2.5 during Week 14. And even though laying 6.5 points is better than laying 12.5 points, you're still at a slight disadvantage compared to the opening number.

The obvious question here is whether you can trust the Eagles and QB Jalen Hurts to win the game by a seven-point margin? If we look at the total, which already dropped as low as 42, it's clear the bookmakers aren't projecting a ton of scoring in this matchup. Fewer points tend to benefit the underdog if we suspect that scoring will be difficult in the game.

One area that's worth focusing on is inside the red zone. Philadelphia ranks sixth in touchdown conversion (63.64%), whereas Washington has allowed opponents to convert just 33.3% of their red-zone opportunities over its last three games.

As ominous as things might look for the Football Team, I'm not sure if the Eagles are the right team to exploit Washington's vulnerabilities. Philadelphia's strength is running the football as it ranks third overall in run DVOA. However, schematically, Washington excels against the run as it's seventh in run defense DVOA.

Washington vs. Eagles Pick

If you're still waiting to bet on this game, chances are you've missed the best of the number. As a result, it's somewhat difficult to recommend any side in this matchup. However, if you're looking for an angle, I'd prefer to grab the points in a game that's not projected to have a ton of scoring.

Divisional underdogs in a game with a total that's less than 43 points are 422-290-25 against the spread (ATS) for 13.09 units historically. This season, divisional underdogs are 9-3 ATS for 5.32 units and 7-1 ATS in the last eight games in this spot.

There's still plenty that can change for Washington regarding players clearing COVID protocols. Unfortunately, that uncertainty can be a nightmare for bettors. You don't always have to bet every game, so this is one matchup that you might want want to tread a bit lighter on.

Lean: Washington +6.5

Editor's note: Washington is now a +9.5 underdog as of 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Shop for the best real-time line here.