Monday Night Football Week #9

Philadelphia Eagles at New Orleans Saints -3 OvUn 51.5 Monday, November 5th 2012 8:20 EST on ESPN

This Monday Night reeks of desperation – two teams that have vastly played under their expectations this season will face off and both are virtually must win situations if they want to contend for a playoff spot.

The Eagles retooled last week defensively, after the firing of their defensive coordinator the week before, but still got thrashed at home by the Atlanta Falcons, 30-17. Vick will still be under center – for at least another week, but it looks more and more likely that if he does not step up his game he could be benched for rookie QB Nick Foles.

The Saints come in off another loss and are a shocking 2-5 on the year. Even their high powered offense looked remarkably normal against Denver. Drew Brees was held to his lowest total of the season so far, throwing for just 213 yards against the Broncos in the 34-14 loss.

The NO defense has been especially horrific this year, allowing 474.7 yards per game and has shown no signs of improvement. In fact, they gave up a season high 530 yards last week in the loss to the Broncos. The offense also suffered a setback, losing running back Darren Sproles for 6-8 weeks with a broken hand.

The Line

The one opened at Saints -3 and has not moved off the magic number. The total opened at 53 and is now at 51.5 or 52.

The Play

Both teams are desperate for a win in this matchup, but the Eagles seem to have a lot more to lose in this matchup. Andy Reid and Vick could both be on the hot seat if they fail to win this game, and while that may be enough motivation, the Eagles match up well against the Saints, as well. The Saints high flying offense will be hurt with the loss of Sproles, making their last place rushing attack even worse and forcing Lance Moore into punt coverage. The Saints will need to score 25+ points to win, and even that may not do it.

We bet on The Eagles +3 at www.topbet.eu