Online sports betting handicappers are going to get a chance to see quite the improbable NFC Championship Game this Sunday in the Eagles vs Cardinals matchup.
Last year, the No. 6 seed New York Giants won the Super Bowl so on some levels, it shouldn’t be overly surprising that the No. 4 seeded Cardinals will host the No. 5 seeded Eagles in the Championship game. But it’s hard to fathom as the Cardinals finished the season on a 2-4 stretch with the four losses coming by an average of 24 points per game and the Eagles at one point tied the lowly Cincinnati Bengals and benched quarterback Donovan McNabb.
Sportsbook odds have the Eagles as a three-point favorite on the road in this contest as the public still doesn’t believe the Cardinals stand much of a chance in this contest. These two teams met in Week 13 when the Eagles dismantled the Cardinals 48-20. The problem for the Cardinals is that the Eagles are just the exact type of defense that is perfectly tailored to foil them.
Those who bet online know that strength of the Eagles defense is two-fold: rushing the passer and the secondary. With defensive coordinator Jim Johnson’s complex blitz schemes, the Eagles always find a way to get to the quarterback. The Eagles had 48 sacks on the year (3rd-most in the NFL) even though they didn’t sack Warner in the Week 13 meeting.
Secondly, the Cardinals are a pass first, pass second, pass third offense. That seems to work well for the Eagles, who ranked third in the NFL in pass defense. On the other side of the ball, the Cardinals defense is a good matchup for the Eagles offense. The Eagles are also pass-happy and no defense allowed more passing touchdowns in the NFL than the Cardinals.
The Cardinals are at home but they just aren’t on the same level as the Eagles. Unless the Eagles make plenty of mistakes likes the Carolina Panthers and the Atlanta Falcons, the Cardinals won’t be advancing to the Super Bowl.
Bet on the Eagles to cover the spread and advance to Super Bowl XLIII.
