When Parx Casino announced it would open the doors to its Parx Sportsbook, hopes were slim for the hometown Philadelphia Eagles to remain alive in the NFL playoffs.
The reigning Super Bowl champions entered the wild-card round as six-point underdogs at the Chicago Bears, after all. That spread was the largest of the four opening-round games.
Still, Parx Senior Vice President of Interactive Gaming and Sports Matthew Cullen held on to that hope.
“The market is insane for [the Eagles], as we’ve seen at the SugarHouse and at Rivers [in Pittsburgh] and in New Jersey. But even if they’re out, people are still gonna want to bet [football]. But it would be great if they were playing.”
Parx had its PA sports betting prayers answered. Philly pulled off the upset to advance to this weekend’s divisional round. As such, the Bensalem sportsbook will almost certainly enjoy a busy weekend of wagering.
Now, with four games split between Saturday and Sunday, the second round of the postseason awaits kickoff. And with the Eagles still alive, we will examine the lines and markets for Philadelphia at the New Orleans Saints by exploring Parx’s Betslip Builder, powered by Kambi Group.
Through this website, customers can view offerings from wherever they live, even outside Pennsylvania. Users can pick and choose which wagers to place, build their betting slip and take it to Parx to scan and place their bets.
What a world to live in.
Philadelphia Eagles (9-7) at New Orleans Saints (13-3)
Once again, the Eagles hit the road as the weekend’s biggest underdog, this time against the heavy favorite to lift the Lombardi Trophy.
As an eight-point underdog, Philadelphia has its work cut out, especially against a potent New Orleans team that dismantled the visiting Eagles 48-7 in Week 11.
Then again, a feeling of déjà vu lingers. After all, Philly’s franchise quarterback Carson Wentz went down with a season-ending injury late last season, setting the stage for Nick Foles to guide the Eagles to their first Super Bowl win. Foles, again, has cast some magic, winning each of his four starts since replacing the injured Wentz to bring Philadelphia back to the divisional round.
An outright win, inferring from the spread, appears a tall order. Though such a feat, sending the Eagles to their second straight NFC Championship game, would pay +290 on the moneyline.
An array of props at Parx certainly intrigues. To begin with, a pair of parlays are worth considering.
First: moneyline and over/under total points (51.5). Obviously, a Saints win is favored at Parx in either case, both the over and under paying +150. A Philadelphia upset, again on the over and under, holds a +500 line. The Eagles are only 4-4 on the road this season, though they have won three straight. New Orleans, meanwhile, has gone 6-2 at home this year. Keep in mind, when the visitor, Philly games average 44.9 points, while Saints games in New Orleans average 59.8 points. Essentially, if you take the Eagles, consider the under; and vice versa when opting for the Saints.
Another parlay involves the first-half winner combined with total first-half points (26.5). The breakdown goes as follows:
- Home and over: +175
- Home and under: +150
- Away and over: +475
- Away and under: +425
On the road, Philadelphia went into the half on top in three of eight games this season with those eight games averaging 19 points per first half. On the flip side, the home-team Saints led at the break in five of eight games with the score nearing 33 points per opening half.
Props abound at Parx
A number of props in this game draw attention, beginning with the opening kickoff.
Parx lists New Orleans as the first team to score at -177, while Philadelphia holds a +128 line. Additionally, the sportsbook favors a Saints touchdown as the game’s first scoring play, at +140, following by an Eagles touchdown as the next-best option, at +265. Field goals by New Orleans (+320) and Philadelphia (+510) are also featured as the game’s first scoring play.
In New Orleans, the Saints struck first in five games, though visiting teams have done so in the last two games in the Big Easy. The Eagles, when on the road, opened in the scoring in just four games this season, though all four have come in the last six games. For what it’s worth, five of Philly’s first scoring plays have gone for touchdowns, while the Saints posted six touchdowns among their first scoring plays at home.
Not only would an Eagles outright victory result in a sizable payday for bettors, so would taking Philadelphia to score first and win, which sits at +450. Philly has gone 4-0 when scoring first on the road.
Parx offers more in-depth markets within its sportsbook, as well.
- Total yards of the shortest touchdown, over/under 1.5: +115/-155
- Total yards of the longest touchdown, over/under 42.5: -115/-115
- Longest made field goal, over/under 45.5: -115/-115
- Shortest made field goal, over/under 27.5: -115/-115
To boot, a sports betting QB showdown looms. Parx tabs the over/under on passing yards by the Saints’ Drew Brees and the Eagles’ Nick Foles at 287.5 and 274.5, respectively. In his illustrious career, Brees has averaged 323.8 passing yards in the postseason. Foles, meanwhile, threw for just 266 yards in last week’s wild-card win, though in three playoff games last year, the QB averaged 309.3 yards.
Even more markets available
Of course, Parx offers markets for each of the other three divisional round games. On top of that, though, the sportsbook features “Divisional Round Weekend Specials.”
Here, bettors can place wagers that involve all four playoff games over the weekend:
Most passing yards
Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes, likely this season’s MVP, stands as the favorite to rack up the divisional round’s most passing yards. Parx lists the gunslinger at +275. Following Mahomes is Indianapolis’ Andrew Luck (+350) and Brees (+500).
Philly’s Foles ranks sixth among quarterbacks. He, along with New England’s Tom Brady, owns a +650 line.
Most receiving yards
Similar to the above market, a Kansas City Chief is among the favorites to shine.
Kansas City’s Tyreek Hill, along with Indy’s TY Hilton and New Orleans’ Michael Thomas, hold +500 odds to finish with the most receiving yards among postseason players. The Eagles’ Zach Ertz (+1,000) and Alshon Jeffery (+1,400) are not expected to dominate, according to Parx lines.
Most kicking points
Yes, even the kickers get sports betting love.
Who finishes with the most points among them? The LA Rams’ Greg Zuerlein (+300) and Kansas City’s Harrison Butker (+350) take favor. Philadelphia’s Jake Elliott, meanwhile, ranks last with a +1,000 line.
Most points scored, least points scored, lowest-scoring game
Just as the headline says, bettors can wager on which team post the most points and the fewest points of the four divisional round games. Additionally, they can put action on which game will feature the fewest points scored.
Team to score the most points:
- Kansas City: +275
- New Orleans: +325
- LA Rams: +350
- Indianapolis: +550
- New England: +550
- LA Chargers: +900
- Dallas: +1,400
- Philadelphia: +1,400
Team to score the least points:
- Philadelphia: +200
- Dallas: +225
- LA Chargers: +500
- Indianapolis: +750
- New England: +750
- LA Rams: +1,000
- New Orleans: +1,400
- Kansas City: +1,800
Lowest scoring game:
- LA Chargers at New England: +175
- Dallas at LA Rams: +225
- Philadelphia at New Orleans: +275
- Indianapolis at Kansas City: +500
NFC Championship, Super Bowl futures
What would a sportsbook be without championship futures? Of course, Parx has these markets available.
As noted, New Orleans sits as the favorite make the deep playoff run, leading the field to win the NFC Championship at +100. The Rams (+210) and Eagles (+600) follow and Dallas (+775) rounds out the list.
Again, as noted, the Saints also stand as the Super Bowl favorite with a +225 line. The Chiefs (+400) and Rams (+450) come next, followed by the Patriots (+600).
After the Chargers (+1,000) come the Colts and Eagles (both at +1,200) and the Cowboys (+1,800).
Only once in NFL history have the same two teams met in consecutive Super Bowls. Though with New England and Philadelphia still alive, a rematch remains possible.
At Parx, bettors can wager on which two teams will face off in the Big Game. Kansas City versus New Orleans carries a +333 line, followed by New England versus New Orleans at +500.
Down the list, with the seventh-longest odds, is where the Eagles’ best odds are, +1,500 to play Kansas City.
And tied for the sixth-longest odds: New England versus Philadelphia, Part II, at +2,000.
Photo by Jeff Bukowski / Shutterstock.com
