The Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots will square off in Week 2 of the NFL preseason tonight. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. ET from Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. The game will broadcast live on NFL Network.
The Eagles are 2.5-point favorites over the Patriots on the spread (Eagles -2.5), with the over/under set at 36.5 total points. Philadelphia is priced as a -126 moneyline favorite to win outright, while New England is a +108 underdog to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Eagles vs. Patriots predictions and NFL picks for Saturday, August 22.
Eagles vs Patriots Prediction
- Eagles vs Patriots pick: Patriots +2.5 (-118)
My Eagles vs. Patriots best bet is on New England to cover the spread (+2.5), with the best price currently available at FanDuel. Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live NFL odds page.
Eagles vs Patriots Odds
| Eagles Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-2.5 -104 | 36.5 -112o / -108u | -126 |
| Patriots Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+2.5 -118 | 36.5 -112o / -108u | +108 |
Eagles vs Patriots NFL Preseason Preview
Philadelphia Eagles Betting Preview: Overvalued Name Recognition
The Eagles enter Saturday’s contest looking to recover from a uninspiring offensive outing in their preseason opener. Philadelphia managed just seven total points in a 24-7 loss to the Ravens, going quite a few drives without gaining a first down and entering the fourth quarter completely shut out.
While much has been made of the high-profile QB2 battle between 15-year veteran Andy Dalton and third-year backup Tanner McKee, neither signal-caller was able to ignite the offense. Dalton completed 3-of-6 passes for 20 yards, while McKee went 6-of-10 for 35 yards.
The Eagles only found the scoreboard late in the fourth quarter when fourth-stringer Cole Payton injected some life into the unit, leading a 59-yard scoring drive capped off by a touchdown pass, while also tacking on 45 rushing yards.
Philadelphia is favored in this matchup largely due to the name-brand recognition and experience within its quarterback room. On paper, deploying a proven veteran in Dalton alongside the system-literate McKee gives the Eagles a theoretical edge over most exhibition depth charts.
However, last week made it abundantly clear that Philadelphia’s coaching staff prioritizes safe, conservative evaluation over pushing for big plays. The winner of this backup job will ultimately be decided on the practice field, not through preseason exhibitions.
Even if Jalen Hurts suits up for a brief series or two, expect the same ultra-safe game script to limit Philadelphia's overall scoring ability during that time.
New England Patriots Betting Preview: Operational Efficiency
On the opposite side, the Patriots are coming off a 13-13 tie against the Colts in a game that showcased a slightly more functional and rhythm-driven backup offense.
With franchise quarterback Drake Maye expected to sit or play a maximum of one or two drives, the bulk of the snaps will once again belong to Tommy DeVito and seventh-round rookie Behren Morton.
While this pairing lacks the NFL track record of Philadelphia's backup QB duo, their on-field execution in Week 1 was vastly superior to what the Eagles put on film.
DeVito brings meaningful regular-season experience to the table — he made eight starts for the Giants over two seasons while throwing for eight touchdowns and adding 227 rushing yards.
That poise showed last week as DeVito completed 13-of-22 passes for 138 yards and a touchdown without turning the ball over.
Morton followed up with a decent performance of his own, completing 7-of-13 attempts for 66 yards while keeping the Patriots' offense on schedule and error-free.
New England’s backup signal-callers may not carry the same brand name as Dalton, but DeVito and Morton sustained drives and avoided critical mistakes in last week's game, and that could be all they need to do to win this one.
Eagles vs Patriots Prediction, Betting Analysis
This matchup meets the criteria for our Bet Labs system titled "NFL Preseason: Small ‘Dogs, Low Totals."
This strategy targets exhibition contests featuring spreads between zero and three alongside closing totals capped under 40 points— such as this game's 36.5 over/under.
In low-scoring environments shaped by conservative play-calling, rotational experimentation, and backup quarterbacks, points become exponentially more valuable. These tight, low-variance settings routinely favor small underdogs, who frequently stay within the number or win outright.
The betting market has priced the Eagles as 2.5-point favorites based on the perceived quality of their backup quarterback competition.
However, last week demonstrated that Philadelphia's conservative approach neutralizes that theoretical advantage, whereas New England's quarterback rotation might actually offer cleaner operational efficiency.
With offensive output expected to be scarce on both sides, taking the points with a capable home underdog is the sharp play.
Pick: Patriots +2.5 (-118)
